93G 


Gi2^ 


in  the  ®itu  xxf  gl^w  ^ovh 


^Allegorical  mew  of  ^oper«,  as  ks- 
cribcb  in  tl}c  Book  of  HeDelattons. 


THE 


GREAT    RED 
DRAGON ; 


OR    THE 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 


BY 


ANTHONY    GAVIN, 


:6<ORMERi:iT   ONE   OP   THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC   PRIESTS 
♦  OF   SAJIAGOSSA,   SPAIN. 


"And  behold  a  GREAT  RED  DRAGON,  haviug  seven  heads 
ten  horns,"  etc.— Rev  xii.  3. 


FORTY-FIFTH    THOUSAND. 

\ 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED    BY    SAMUEL    JONES; 

86  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1854. 


Entered,  according  to  Ac<  af  Congress,  in  the  year  1864,  by 

SAMUEL    JONES, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Distr***.  of  Massachusetts, 


Library  ^-t-  ■>   Tinff. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I.  Pa^e. 

B OMAN-CATHOLIC  Auricular  Confession,       -     -  -     13 

Confession  of  a  Young  Woman  in  Saragossa,  -  -  ^  -  -  21 
Private  Confession  of  a  Priest  at  the  point  of  death,  -  -  -  35 
Private  Confessions,    ----  ------..43 

PART  II. 

Pope's  Bull,  from  Spanish,   -----------77 

Form  of  Absolution  under  the  Bull, 82 

Brief,  or  Sum  of  the  Estations  and  Indulgences  of  Rome,  83 
Bull  of  Crusade,        -----.---.«_»       85 

PART  III. 
A  Practical  Account  of  their  Masses. 
Privileged  Altars,  Transubstantiation,  and  Purgatory. 

ARTICLE  I. 

Of  their  Masses, ---     117 

ARTICLE  II. 

Of  the  Privileged  Altar, ---.    134 

ARTICLE  III. 

Transubstantiation,  or  the  Eucharist,  -    -    -    -     135 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Purgatory, -  53 

PART  IV. 
^^^  Uf  the  Inquisitors  and  their  Practices,     -     -     -          -     -     ips 
Order  of  the  Inquisition  to  arrest  a  Horse, 190 

% 

^  Prayers.     Adoration  of  Images  and  Relics. 

ARTICLE  I. 

5  Prayers,   -  - IPfi 

=?  3 


57638 


4  CONTE^'TS. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Adoration  of  Images,       --- -  204 

Inquisition  of  Goa,           ---.-----  217 

Inquisition  at  Macerata  in  Italy,       ------  231 

Summary  of  the  Roman-Catholic  Faith,       -     -     -     -  248 

Purgatory,      -------------  259 

Worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  Saints,  Reliques,  Im- 
ages, &c.  &c.  -----------  26C 

Indulgences,      .--.--.------  262 

From  the  Pope's  Tax  Book, 263 

Letters  from  Rome  by  a  Physician,  to  his  Brother  in 

America, 272 

Power  of  the  Priests  to  forgive  sins, 269 

Preservative  against  Popery,  by  the  Rev.  James  Blan- 
co White, 291 

Dialogue    II. 311 

Dialogue  III. 325 

Dialogue  IV. 344 

Defects  occurring  in  the  Mass. 

No.     I.       -     - 363 

No.   II. „ 

No.  III. „ 

Oaths  to  be  taken  to  defend  the  Papacy,     .     -     -     -  374 

No.  IV. „ 

No.   V. „ 

Bishops'  Oaths,        375 

No.  VI. ,. 

Extirpation  of  Heretics,       -----.---  376 

NOTES. 

Notices  of  the  Papal  Church  in  the  United  States,  -     -     -  379 
Damnation  and  Excommunication  of  Elizabeth,  Q,ueen  of 

England,  and  her  Adherents, 404 

Excommunication    pronounced    by    Philip   Dunn    against 

Francis  Freeman,  for  embracing  the  Protestant 

Faith, 406 

Dreadful   Form  of  Excommunication   denounced   against 

the  Pope's  Alum  Maker,                -     -     -    -     «  4Pt 


PREFACE. 


When  I  first  designed  to  publish  tlie  following  sheets,  it  was  a  matter  of 
aorae  doubt  with  me,  whether  or  no  I  should  put  my  name  to  them  ;  for  if  I  did, 
I  considered  that  I  exposed  myself  to  the  malice  of  a  great  body  of  men,  whc 
would  endeavor  on  all  occasions  to  injure  me  in  my  reputation  and  fortune,  if 
not  in  my  life ;  which  last  (to  say  no  more)  was  no  unnatural  suspicion  of  a 
Spaniard,  and  one  in  my  case,  to  entertain  of  some  fiery  zealots  of  the  Church 
of  Rome. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  I  foresaw,  that  if  I  concealed  my  name,  a  great 
part  of  the  benefit  intended  to  the  public  by  this  work,  might  be  lost.  Fori 
have  often  observed,  as  to  books  of  tliis  kind,  where  facts  only  are  related, 
(the  truth  of  which  in  tlie  greatest  measure  must  depend  on  the  credit  of  the 
relater,)  that  wherever  the  authors,  out  of  caution  or  fear,  have  concealed 
themselves,  the  event  commonly  has  been,  that  even  the  friends  to  the  cause, 
which  the  facts  support,  give  but  a  cold  assent  to  them,  and  the  enemies 
reject  them  entirely  as  calumnies  and  forgeries,  without  ever  giving  themselves 
tlie  trouble  of  examining  into  the  truth  of  thai  which  the  relater  dares  not 
openly  avow.  On  this  account,  whatever  the  consequences  may  be, I  resolved 
to  put  mv  name  to  this;  and  accordingly  did  so  to  tlie  first  proposals  which 
were  made  for  printing  it. 

But,  by  this  means,  I  am  at  the  same  time  obliged  to  say  something  in  vin- 
dication of  myself  from  several  aspersions  which  I  lie  under,  and  which 
indeed  I  have  already  in  a  great  degree  been  a  sufferer  by,  in  the  opinion  of 
many  worthy  gentlemen.  The  first  is,  that  I  never  v\'as  a  priest,  because  I 
have  not  my  letters  of  orders  to  produce.  This,  it  must  be  confessed,  is  a 
testimonial,  without  which  no  one  has  a  right,  or  can  expect  to  be  regarded  as 
a  p<»rson  of  tliat  character ;  unless  he  has  very  convincing  arguments  to  oflfer 
the  world,  that,  in  his  circumstances,  no  such  thing  could  reast  nably  be  ex- 
pected from  him ;  and  whetlier  or  no  mine  are  such,  I  leave  the  world  to  judge. 
My  case  was  this : 

As  soon  as  it  had  pleased  God  by  his  grace  to  overcome  in  me  the  prejudices 

of  my  education  in  favor  of  that  corrupt  church,  in  which  I  had  been  raised, 

and  to  inspire  me- with  a  resolution  to  embrace  the  piotestant  religion,  I  saw, 

that  in   order  to  preserve   my  life,  I  must  immediately  quit  Spain,  where  aJI 

a2  5 


*»  PREFACE. 

persons,  who  do  not  publicly  profess  the  Romish  religion,  are  condemned 
death.  Upon  this  I  resolved  to  lose  no  time  in  making  my  escape,  but  how  to 
make  it  was  a  matter  of  the  greatest  difficulty  and  danger.  However,  I  de^ 
termined  rather  to  hazard  all  events,  than  either  to  continue  in  tliat  church, 
or  expose  myself  to  certain  death ;  and  accordingly  made  choice  of  ois- 
guises  as  the  most  probable  method  of  favoring  my  escape.  The  first  I  made 
use  of,  V  as  the  habit  of  an  officer  in  the  army :  and  as  I  was  sure  there  would 
be  strict  inquiry  and  search  made  after  me,  I  durst  not  bring  along  witli  me  my 
,*stters  of  orders,  which,  upon  my  being  suspected  in  any  place,  foi  the  person 
searched  after,  or  any  other  unhappy  accident,  would  have  been  au  undeniable 
evidence  against  me,  and  consequently  would  have  condemned  me  to  the 
inquisition.  By  this  means  I  got  safely  to  London,  where  I  was  most  civilly  re- 
ceived by  the  late  Earl  Stanhope,  to  whom  I  had  the  honor  to  be  known  when 
he  was  in  Saragossa.  He  told  me  that  there  were  some  other  new  converts  of  my 
nation  in  town,  and  that  he  hoped  I  would  follow  the  command  of  Jesus  to 
Peter,  viz.     When  thou  art  converted  strengthen  thy  brethren. 

Upon  this  I  went  to  the  late  Lord  Bishop  of  London,  and  by  iiis  lord§hip's 
><5^r,  his  domestic  chaplain  examined  me  three  days  together;  and  as  I  could 
outproduce  the  letters  of  orders^  he  advised  me  to  get  a  certificate  from  my 
Lord  Stanhope,  that  he  knew  me,  and  that  I  was  a  priest,  which  I  obtained 
the  very  same  day;  and  upon  this  certificate,  his  lordship  received  my  recan- 
tation, after  morning  prayers  in  his  chapel  of  Somerset-house,  and  licensed 
me  to  preach  and  officiate  in  a  Spanish  congregation  composed  of  my  Lord 
Stanhope,  several  English  officers,  and  a  few  Spanish  officers,  new  converts. 
By  virtue  of  this  license,  I  preached  two  years  and  eight  months,  first  in  the 
chapel  of  Queen's  Square,  Westminster,  and  afterwards  in  Oxenden's  chapel, 
near  the  hay-market.  But  my  benefactor,  desirous  to  settle  me  in  the  English 
church,  addsed  me  to  go  chaplain  to  the  Preston  man  of  war,  where  I  might 
have  a  great  deal  of  leisure  to  learn  the  language ;  and  being  presented  and 
approved  by  the  Bishop  of  London,  the  Lords  of  the  Admiradty  gianted  me 
the  warrant  or  commission  of  chaplain.  Tlien  his  lordship,  though  he  had 
given  his  consent  in  writing,  to  preach  in  Spanish,  enlarged  it  in  the  warrant 
of  the  Admiralty,  which  license  I  shall  take  leave  to  insert  here  at  large. 

Whereas'the  Reverend  Mr.  Anthony  Gavin  was  recommended  to  me  by 
the  right  honorable  Lord  Stanhope,  and  by  the  same  and  other  English  gentle- 
men, I  was  certified  that  the  said  Reverend  Mr.  Gavin  was  a  secular  priest, 
ani  master  of  arts  m  the  university  of  the  city  of  Saragossa,  in  the  kingc^  >m  of 
Arragon,  in  Spain,  and  that  they  knew  him  in  the  said  city,  and  conversed  with 
him  several  times :  This  is  to  certify  that  the  said  Reverend  Mr.  Gavin,  after 
attving  publicly  and  solemnly  abjured  the  errors  of  the  Romish  religion,  and 
oeing  thereupon  by  me  reconciled  to  the  church  of  England,  on  the  3d  day  (rf 
January,  1715-16,  he  then  had  my  leave  to  officiate,  'a  the  Spanish  language, 


PREFACE. 

?n  the  chapel  of  Queen's  Square,  Westmhister ;  and  now  being  appoinlei 
chaplain  of  his  Majesty's  ship,  the  Preston,  has  my  license  to  preach  in  Eng- 
lish, and  to  administer  the  sacraments,  at  home  and  abroad,  in  all  the  churchee 
an^  chapels  of  my  diocess. 

Given  imder  m^  hand,  in  London,  the  13th  of  July,  1720. 

Signed,  JOHN  LONDON. 

The  certificate,  license,  and  warrant,  may  be  seen  at  any  time,  for  I  have 
tfiem  by  me. 

After  that,  the  ship  being  put  out  of  commission,  and  my  Lord  Stanhope 
being  in  Hanover  with  the  king,  I  came  over  to  Ireland  on  tlie  importunity  of 
a  friend,  with  a  desire  ta  stay  here  until  my  lord's  return  into  England  ;  Hut 
when  I  was  thinking  of  going  over  again,  I  heard  of  my  lord's  death,  and 
having  in  him  lost  my  best  patron,  I  resolved  to  try  in  this  kingdom,  whetliei 
I  could  find  any  settlement;  and  in  a  few  days  after,  by  the  favor  of  hia 
grace  my  Lord  Archbishop  of  Cashel,  and  the  Reverend  Dean  Percival,  I  got 
the  curacy  of  Gowran,  which  I  ser\'ed  almost  eleven  months,  by  the  license  of 
my  Lord  Bishop  of  Ossory,  who  afterwards,  upon  my  going  to  Cork,  gave  me 
his  letters  dismissory. 

I  was  in  Cork  very  near  a  year,  serving  the  cure  of  a  parish  near  it,  and 
the  Rev.  Dean  Maule  being  at  that  time  in  London,  and  I  being  recommend- 
ed to  him  to  preach  in  his  parish  church  of  Shandon,  he  went  to  inquire  about 
me  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  who,  and  several  other  persons  of  distinction, 
were  pleased  to  give  me  a  good  character,  as  the  Dean  on  my  leaving  him  did 
me  the  favor  to  certify  under  his  hand,  together  with  my  good  behaviour  during 
my  stay  in  Cork. 

Now  my  case  being  such  as  I  have  represented  it,  I  freely  submit  it  to  the 
judgment  of  every  gentleman  of  ingenuity  and  candor  to  determine,  whether 
it  could  be  expected  from  me,  that  I  should  have  my  letters  of  orders  to  show : 
and  yet  whether  there  can  be  any  tolerable  reason  to  suspect  my  not  having 
been  a  priest.  I  think  it  might  be  enough  to  silence  all  suspicions  on  this 
account,  that  I  was  received  as  a  priest  into  the  church  of  Englajid,  and 
licensed  as  such  to  preach  and  administtT  the  sacraments  both  in  that  kingdom 
and  this;  and  I  hope  no  one  can  imagine,  that  any  of  the  bishops  of  tlie  best 
constituted  and  governed  churches  upon  eeirth,  would  admit  any  person  to  so 
Bacred  a  trust,  without  their  being  fully  satisfied  that  he  was  in  orders. 

I  shall,  on  this  occasion,  beg  leave  to  mention  what  the  Bishop  of  London 
Baid  to  me,  when  1 1  jld  him  I  had  not  my  letters  of  orders,  but  tliat  my  Lord 
Stanhope,  and  other  gentlemen  of  honor  and  credit,  who  knew  me  in  my 
native  city  of  Saragossa,  would  certify,  that  I  there  was  esteemed,  and  officia- 
ted as  a  priest.  Bring  such  a  certificate,  said  he,  ajid  I  will  receive  and  license 
you;  for  I  would  rather  depend  nfon  it,  than  any  letters  of  orders  you  could 
©reduce,  which,  for  ought  I  could   ell   vou  might  hav,  forged. 


8  PREFACE. 

I  hope  what  I  hav'e  here  said  may  convince  even  my  enemies,  of  my  beirg  * 
clergyman :  And  how  I  have  behaved  myself  as  such,  since  f  came  into  this 
kingdom,  I  appeal  to  those  gentlemen  I  conversed  with  in  Gowran,  GortroS; 
and  Cork,  and  for  this  last  year  and  a  half,  to  the  officers  of  Col.  Barrel,  Briga 
dier  Napper,  Col.  Hawley,  Col.  Newton,  and  Col.  Lanoe's  reghnents,  who  : 
am  sure  will  do  me  justice,  and  I  desire  no  more  of  them ;  and  upon  an  inquiry 
into  my  behaviour,  I  flatter  myself  that  the  public  will  not  lightly  give  credit 
to  the  ill  reports  spread  abroad  by  my  enemies. 

Another  objection  raised  against  me  is,  that  I  have  peijured  myself  in  dis- 
covering the  private  confessions  which  were  made  to  me.  In  one  point  indeed 
they  may  call  me  perjured,  and  it  is  my  comfort  and  glory  that  I  am  so  in  it, 
viz :  That  I  have  broke  the  oath  I  took,  when  I  was  ordained  priest,  which 
was,  to  live  and  die  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  But  as  to  the  other  peijury 
charged  upon  me,  they  lie  under  a  mistake ;  for  there  is  no  oath  of  secrecy  at 
all  administered  to  confessors,  as  most  protestants  imagine.  Secrecy  indeed 
is  recommended  to  all  confessors  by  the  casuists,  and  enjoined  by  the  councils 
and  popes  so  strictly,  that  if  a  confessor  reveals  (except  in  some  particular 
cases)  what  is  confessed  to  him,  so  as  the  penitent  is  discovered,  he  is  to  be 
punished  for  it  in  the  inquisition ;  which,  it  must  be  owned,  is  a  more  effectual 
way  of  enjoining  secrecy  than  oaths  themselves. 

However,  I  am  far  from  imagining,  tliat  because  in  this  case  I  have  broken 
no  oath,  I  should  therefore  be  guilty  of  no  crime,  tliough  I  revealed  every 
thing  which  was  committed  to  my  trust  as  a  confessor,  of  whatever  Ul  couse  • 
quence  it  might  be  to  the  penitent ;  no,  such  a  practice  I  take  to  be  exceed- 
ingly criminal,  and  I  do,  from  my  soul,  abhor  it. 

But  nevertheless  there  are  cases  where,  by  the  constitution  of  the  church  of 
Rome  itself,  the  most  dangerous  secrets  may  and  ought  to  be  revealed :  Such 
as  those  which  are  called  "  reserved  cases,"  of  which  there  are  many;  some 
reserved  to  the  pope  himself,  as  heresy;  some  to  his  apostolic  commissary  or 
deputy,  as  incest  in  the  first  degree;  some  to  the  bishop  of  the  diocess,  as  the 
setting  a  neighhor''s  house  on  fire.  Now  in  such  cases  the  confessor  cannot 
absolve  the  penitent,  and  therefore  he  is  obliged  to  reveal  the  confession  to 
the  person  to  whom  the  absolution  of  that  sin  is  reserved ;  though  indeed  he 
never  mentions  the  penitent's  name,  or  any  circumstance  by  which  he  may 
be  discovered. 

Again,  there  are  other  cases  (such  as  a  conspiracy  against  the  life  of  the 
Prince^  or  a  traitorous  design  to  overturn  the  government)  which  the 
confessor  is  obliged  in  conscience,  and  for  the  safety  of  the  public,  to  reveal. 

But  besides  all  these,  whenever  the  penitent's  case  happens  to  have  any 
thing  of  an  uncommon  difficulty  in  it,  common  prudence,  and  a  due  regard 
to  the  faithfu?.  discharge  of  his  office,  will  oblige  a  confessor  to  discover  it  to 
men  of  expei  ience  and  judgment  in  casusitry,  that  he  may  have  their  advice 


PREFACE.  9 

BOW  to  proceed  in  it :  And  that  is  what  confessors  in  Spain  not  only  may  dO; 
but  are  bound  by  tlie  word  of  a  priest  to  do  vinerever  they  have  an  opportu- 
nity "^f  consulting  a  college  of  confessors,  CT,  as  if  is  commonly  called,  a 
moral  academy. 

I  believe  it  may  be  of  some  service  on  the  present  occasion,  to  inform  my 
••eaders  what  those  moral  academies  are,  which  are  to  be  met  with  through 
Spam,  in  every  city  and  town  where  there  is  a  number  of  secular  and  regxilai 
priests :  But  I  shall  speak  only  of  those  in  ilie  city  of  Saragossa,  as  being  the 
most  perfectly  acquainted  with  them. 

A  moral  academy  is  a  college  or  assembly  consisting  of  several  Father  Con- 
fessors, in  which  each  of  them  proposes  some  moral  case  which  has  happened 
to  him  in  confession,  with  an  exact  and  particular  account  of  the  confession, 
without  mentioning  the  penitent's  name :  And  the  proponent  having  done  this, 
every  member  is  to  deliver  his  opinion  upon  it.  This  is  constantly  practised 
every  Friday,  from  two  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon,  till  six,  and  sometimes 
till  eight,  as  the  cases  proposed  happen  to  be  more  or  less  difficult.  But  when 
there  is  em  extraordinary  intricate  case  to  be  resolved,  and  the  members  can- 
not agree  in  the  resolution  of  it,  they  send  one  of  then  assembly  to  the  great 
academy^  which  is  a  college  composed  of  sixteen  casuistical  doctors,  and 
four  professors  of  divinity,  the  most  learned  and  experienced  in  moral  cases 
that  may  be  had  :  and  by  them  the  case  in  debate  is  resolved,  and  the  resolu- 
tion of  it  entered  in  tlie  books  of  the  academy  by  the  consent  of  the  president 
and  members. 

The  academy  of  the  holy  trinity,  founded  and  very  nobly  endowed  by 
Archbishop  Gamboa,  is  one  of  the  most  famous  in  the  city  of  Sareigossa;  and 
of  it  I  was  member  for  three  years.  I  was  very  young  and  inexpert  in  cases 
of  conscience,  when  I  was  first  licensed  to  be  a  confessor ;  for  the  pope  having 
dispensed  with  tliirteen  months  of  the  time  required  by  the  canons  for  the  age 
of  a  priest  (for  which  I  paid  sixty  pistoles)  I  was  ordained  before  I  was  twenty 
tliree  years  old,  by  Don  Antonio  Ibannez  de  la  Rivia  de  Herrera,  Aicnbishop 
of  Saragossa,  and  Viceroy  of  An-agon,  and  at  the  same  time  licensed  by  hira 
to  hear  confessions  of  both  sexes.  In  order  then  the  better  and  more  speedily 
to  qualify  myself  for  the  office,  I  thought  it  my  most  prudeut  way  to  afply 
as  soon  as  possible,  to  be  admitted  into  this  learned  society,  and  as  it  nappen- 
ed,  I  had  interest  enough  to  succeed. 

Now  among  many  statutes  left  by  ihe  founder  to  this  academy,  one  is 
tills,  viz :  That  eveiy  person  who  is  chosen  a  member  of  it,  is,  on  his  admis- 
gion,  to  promise  upon  the  word  of  a  priest,  to  give  iie  whole  assembly  a 
faithful  account  of  all  the  private  confessions  he  has  heard  the  week  before, 
which  have  any  thing  in  them  difficult  to  be  resolved ;  yet  so  as  not  to  men- 
tion any  circumstance  by  which  the  penitents  may  be  kno«vn. 

And  for  tliis  end  there  is   a  book,  where  the  secretary  enters  all  the  cas© 


10  PREFACE. 

proposed  and  resolved  every  Friday ;  and  every  third  year  thara  «,  by  tat 
consent  of  the  president  and  members  of  the  academy,  and  by  the  approba 
tion  of  the  great  one^  a  book  -printed  containing  all  the  cases  resolved  foi 
three  years  before,  and  which  is  entitled,  "  compendium  casuum  moraliuro 
academise  S.  S.  trinitatis."  The  academy  of  the  holy  trinity  is  always  com- 
posed of  twenty  members,  so  that  every  one  may  easily  perceive,  that  each 
of  the  members  may  be  acquainted  in  a  year  or  two,  witli  many  himdreds  of 
private  confessions  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  people ;  besides  'hose  which 
were  made  to  themselves:  Which  remark  I  only  make,  by  the  by,  to  satisfy 
some  men,  who,  I  am  told,  find  fault  with  me  for  pretending  to  impose  on  the 
public  for  genuine,  several  confessions  which  were  not  made  to  myself,  and 
consequently  for  the  reality  of  which,  I  can  have  no  sufficient  authority. 

Now  after  aJl  that  has  been  said  on  this  head,  I  believe  I  need  not  be  at 
much  trouble  to  vindicate  myself  from  the  imputation  of  any  criminal  breach 
of  secrecy ;  for  if  the  reader  observe,  that  on  the  foregoing  grounds,  there  is 
no  confession  whatever  which  may  not  lawfully  be  revealed,  (provided  the 
confessor  do  not  discover  the  penitent,)  he  cannot  in  justice  condemn  me  for 
publishing  a  few,  by  which  it  is  morally  impossible,  in  the  present  circum- 
stances, that  the  penitents  should  be  known.  Had  I  been  much  more  partic- 
ular than  I  am  in  my  relations,  and  mentioned  even  the  names  and  every 
thing  else  I  knew  of  the  persons,  there  would  sceurce  be  a  possibility  (consid- 
ering the  distance  and  little  intercourse  there  is  between  this  place  and  Sara- 
gossa)  of  their  suflferiiig  in  any  degree  by  it :  And  I  need  not  observe  that 
the  chief,  and  indeed  only  reason  of  enjoining  aiid  keeping  secrecy,  is  the 
hazards  the  penitent  may  run  by  discovery,  but  I  do  assure  the  reader,  that  in 
every  confession  I  have  related,  I  have  made  use  of  feigned  names,  and 
avoided  every  circumstance  by  which  I  had  the  least  cause  to  suspect  the 
parties  might  be  found  out.  And  I  assure  him  further,  that  most  of  the  cases 
here  published  by  me,  are,  in  their  most  material  points,  already  printed  in  the 
compendiums  of  tliat  moral  academy  of  which  I  was  a  member. 

As  for  the  reasons  which  moved  me  to  publish  this  book,  I  shall  only  say, 
that  as  the  corrupt  practices,  which  are  the  subject  of  it,  first  set  me  upon  ex- 
amining into  the  principles  of  the  church  of  Rome,  and  by  that  mear.s  of 
renouncing  them ;  so  I  thought  that  the  making  of  them  public  might  happily 
produce  the  same  effect  iu  some  others. 

I  did  design  on  this  occasion  to  give  a  parricular  account  of  the  ractives  of 
mv  conversion,  and  leavmg  Spain ;  but  being  confined  to  three  hundred  pages, 
I  must  leave  that  and  some  other  things  relating  to  the  sacraments  of  the 
cnurch  of  Rome,  to  the  second  part,  which  I  mte&d  to  print  if  the  public 
tliink  fit  to  encourage  me. 


PREFACE.  11 

I  must  beg  ilie  reader's  pardon  for  my  presumption  in  writing  to  him  in  hjs 
own  language,  on  so  short  an  acquaintance  as  I  have  with  it.  I  hope  he 
will  excuse  the  many  mistakes  I  have  committed  in  the  book:  I  shall  be  very 
well  pleased  to  be  told  of,  and  I  shall  take  the  greater  care  to  avoid  them  in 
the  second  part. 


PREFACE  TO  THIS  EDITION. 

The  preceding  preface,  which  was  written  by  tht  original  autlior  of  ihia 
raluable  work,  is  published  in  his  own  words,  in  ord*  t  tliat  the  reader  may 
understand  his  motives  and  views  in  disclosing  die  iir.portant  facts  which  had 
come  to  his  knowledge  in  relation  to  Popery.  Having  abjured  the  errors  of 
the  Romish  religion,  he  felt  constrained  to  warn  others  of  the  insidious  arts  to 
which  he  had  been  himself  the  victim,  and  to  point  out  the  absurd  contrivan- 
ces by  which  the  priesthood  of  that  denomination  impose  upon  tlie  credulity 
of  the  ignorant  and  unsuspecting.  In  doing  this  he  has  given  to  the  world  a 
mass  of  facts  which  cannot  be  disbelieved,  nor  controverted,  and  which  must 
satisfy  every  intelligent  mind  of  the  gross  fallacy  of  the  doctrijies  of  that 
ancient  church,  and  the  dreadful  corruptions  practised  by  tliose  who  adminis- 
ter its  concerns. 

As  a  christian  people,  it  becomes  us  to  examine  carefully  Ui3  grounds  of 
our  belief,  and  to  decide  with  due  caution  for  ourselves,  wiiether  the  doctrines 
and  standards  of  faith  proposed  for  our  acceptance  by  any  set  of  men,  con- 
form with  those  haixled  dow»  to  us  by  tlie  fathers.  By  placing  this  book  in 
the  hands  of  tlie  American  reader,  he  will  be  enabled  to  cojnpare  it  with 
the  only  safe  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  the  blessed  Gospel  of  Christ,  which 
is  all  truth,  purity,  and  wisdom,  and  cannot  mislead. 

The  American  reader  will  also  decide,  whetiicr  the  fnrsns  of  the  Roman 
catholic  religion  are  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  a  republican  pe  «ple.  ''( 
even  the  doctrines  of  tliat  faith,  were  safe  and  pure,  we  camiot  believe  that 
the  complicated  machinery,  the  expensive  and  unmeaning  parade,  and  the 
despotic  principles  of  its  church  government,  could  ever  be  received  into 
practice  by  the  good  sense  of  intelligent  and  fr»e  people. 

To  make  this  compilation  more  complete,  we  have  added  to  the  original 
work  of  Mr.  Gavin,  an  account  of  "  The  Inquisition  of  Goa,"  by  the  cele- 
brated Dr.  Buchanan,  who  travelled  and  resided  in  Asia ;  an  accoimt  of  "  The 
Inquisition  at  Macerata  in  Italy,"  by  Mr.  Bower;  and  a  Summary  of  the 
Roman  catholic  faith,  carefully  prepared  from  their  own  works,  and  which 
will  place  the  whole  subject  clearly  within  the  comprehension  of  tre  plaineo? 
Hnderstanding. 


Flagellation  of  a  Prince  by  the  Roman  Clwgy  in  the  13th  centnrj. 


THE  GREAT  E.ED  DRAGON 


PART  I 


OF  THE  RO.AIAN-CATIIOLICS'  AURICULAR  CONrESSIOI^ 

Auricular  confession  being  one  of  the  five  commandments 
nl  the  Roman-CathoHc  Church,  and  a  condition  necessarily 
required  in  one  of  their  sacraments;  and  being  too  an  article 
that  will  contribute  very  much  to  the  discovery  of  many  other 
errors  of  that  communion,  it  may  be  proper  to  make  use  of 
the  Master-Key,  and  begin  with  it:  And  first  of  all,  with  the 
Father  confessors,  who  are  the  only  key-keepers  of  it. 

Though  a  priest  cannot  be  licensed,  by  the  canons  of  their 
church,  to  hear  men's  confessions,  till  he  is  thirty  years,  nor 
to  confesi  women  till  forty  years  of  age,  yet  ordinarily  he 
gets  a  dispensation  from  the  Ijishop,  to  whom  his  probity,  se- 
crecy, and  sober  conversation  are  represented  by  one  of  the 
diocesan  *examinators,  his  friend,  or  by  some  person  of  inter- 
est with  his  lordship;  and  by  that  means  he  gets  a  confessor's 
license,  most  commonly,  the  day  he  gets  his  letters  of  orders, 
viz. :  Some  at  three-and-twenty,  and  some  at  four-and-twenty 
years  of  age,  not  only  for  men,  but  for  women's  confessions 
also.  1  say,  some  at  three-and-twenty;  for  the  Pope  dispenses 
with  thirteen  months,  to  those  that  pay  a  sum  of  money;  of 
which  I  shall  speak  in  another  place. 

To  priests  thus  licensed,  to  be  judges  of  the  tribunal  of  con- 
science, men  and  women  discover  their  sins,  their  actions,  their 
thoughts,  nay,  their  very  dreams,  if  they  happen  to  be  impure. 
I  say,  judges  of  the  tribunal  of  conscience ;  for  when  they  are 

*  Those  that  are  appointed  by  the  bishop,  to  examine  ^iiose  that  are  V  b« 
•fdained  ,  or  licensed  to  preach  and  hear  confessicjis. 

B  13 


14  MASTER-KEY  TO  PO?EXr. 

licensed,  they  ought  to  resolve  any  case  (let  it  be  ever  so  hard) 
proposed  by  the  penitent:  And  by  this  means  it  must  often 
happen,  that  a  young  man  who,  perhaps,  does  not  know  more 
than  a  few  definitions  (which  he  has  learned  in  a  little  manual 
of  some  casuistical  authors)  of  what  is  sin,  shall  sit  in  such  a 
tribunal,  to  judge,  in  the  most  intricate  cases,  the  consciences 
of  men,  and  men  too  that  may  be  his  masters. 

I  saw  a  reverend  father*  who  had  been  eight-and  twenty 
years  professor  of  divinity  in  one  of  the  most  considerable] 
universities  of  Spain,  ^and  one  of  the  most  famous  men  for  hie 
learning,  in  that  religion,  kneel  down  before  a  youngt  priest 
of  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  confess  his  sins  to  him.  Who 
would  not  be  surprised  at  them  both?  A  man  fit  to  be  the 
judge,  to  act  the  part  of  a  criminal  before  an  ignorant  judge, 
who,  I  am  sure,  could  scarcely  then  tell  the  titles  of  the  Sum 
mae  Morales. 

Nay,  the  Pope,  notwithstanding  all  his  mfallibility,  doth 
kneel  down  before  his  confessor,  tell  him  his  sins,  heareth  his 
correction,  and  receives  and  performs  whatever  penance  he 
imposeth  upon  him.  This  is  the  only  difference  between  the 
Pope's  confessor,  and  the  confessor  of  Kings  and  other  per- 
sons, that  all  confessors  sit  down  to  hear  Kings  and  other  per- 
sons, but  the  Pope's  confessor  kneels  down  himself  to  hear  the 
Holy  Father.  What,  the  holy  one  upon  earth  humble  himself 
as  a  sinner?  Holiness  and  sin  in  one  and  the  same  subject, 
is  a  plain  contradiction  in  terms. 

If  we  ask  the  Roman-Catholics,  \^Tiy  so  learned  men,  and 
the  Pope,  do  so?  They  will  answer,  that  they  do  it  out  of  rev- 
erence to  such  a  sacrament,  out  of  humiliiy,  and  to  give  a  token 
and  testimony  of  their  hearty  sorrow  for  their  sins.  And  as  for 
the  Pope,  they  say  he  does  it  to  show  an  example  of  humility, 
as  Jesus  Christ  did,  when  he  washed  the  Apostles'  feet. 

This  answer  is  true,  but  they  do  not  say  the  whole  truth  m 
it;  for,  besides  the  aforesaid  reasons,  they  have  another,  as 
Molina  tells  them,  viz:  That  the  penitent  ought  to  submit 
entirely  to  his  confessor's  correction,  advice,  and  penance ;  and 
he  excepts  no  body  from  the  necessary  requisite  of  a  true  pen- 
itent. Who  would  not  be  surprised  (1  say  again)  that  a  iran 
of  noted  learning  would  submit  himself  to  a  young,  unexpe- 

*  Fr.  James  Garcia. 

t  The  Liniversity  of  Saragossa,  in  the  kingdom  of  Arragon,  in  Spain,  whicli, 
according  to  their  historians,  was  built  by  Sertorious. 

^  The  thing  happened  to  me  when  I  was  24  years  of  age. 

}  In  this  Moral  Snnim.  Chap,  xviil.  of  the  requisites  of  a  tme  penitent. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  16 

nenced  priest,  as  to  a  judge  of  his  conscience,  take  his  advice, 
and  receive  his  correction  and  penance? 

What  would  a  Roman-Cathohc  say,  if  he  should  see  one  of 
our  learned  bishops  go  to  the  college  to  consult  a  young  colle- 
gian in  a  nice  point  of  divinity;  nay,  to  take  his  advice,  and 
submit  to  his  opinion?  Really,  the  Roman  would  heartily 
laugh  at  him,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  reason ;  nay,  he  could 
say,  that  his  lordship  was  not  right  in  his  senses.  What  then 
can  a  protestant  say  of  those  infatuated,  learned  men  of  the 
church  of  Rome,  when  they  do  more  than  what  is  here  suj)- 
posed  ? 

As  to  the  Pope  (I  say)  it  is  a  damnable  opinion  to  comf^are 
him,  in  this  case,  to  our  Saviour  Jesus;  for  Christ  knew  not 
sin,  but  gave  us  an  example  of  humility  and  patience,  obedience 
and  poverty.  He  washed  the  apostles'  feet;  and  though  we 
cannot  know  by  the  Scripture  whether  he  did  kneel  down  or 
not  to  wash  them :  Suppose  that  he  did,  he  did  it  only  out  of  a 
true  humility,  and  not  to  confess  his  sins.  But  the  Pope  doth 
kneel  down,  not  to  give  an  example  of  humility  and  patience, 
but  really  to  confess  his  sins:  Not  to  give  an  example  of  obe- 
dience; for,  being  suirreme  pojitifcx,  he  obeys  nobody,  and 
assumes  a  command  over  the  whole  world:  nor  of  poverty;  for 
Pope  and  necessity  dwell  far  from  one  another.  And  if  some 
ignorant  Roman-Catholic  should  say,  that  the  Pope,  as  Pope, 
has  no  sin,  we  may  prove  the  contrary  with  Cipriano  do  Va- 
leria,* who  gives  an  account  of  all  the  bastards  of  several 
Popes  for  many  years  past.  The  Pope's  bastards,  in  Latin, 
are  called  nepotes.  Now  mind,  O  reader,  this  common  saying 
ia  Latin,  among  the  Roman-Catholics :  Solent  clerici  fuios 
suos  vocare  sohrinos  aut  nepotes:  That  is.  The  priests  use  to 
call  their  own  sons  cousins  or  nepheics.  And  when  we  give 
these  instances  to  some  of  their  learned  men,  (as  I  did  to  one 
in  London,)  they  say,  Angclorum  est  peccare,  Jwminnmque 
fenitere:  i.  e.  It  belongs  to  angels  to  sin,  and  to  men  to  repent. 
By  this  they  acknowledge  that  the  Pope  is  a  sinner,  and  nev- 
ertheless they  call  him  His  holiness,  and  the  most  Holy 
father. 

Wlio  then  would  not  be  surprised  to  see  the  most  holy  Jesus 
Christ's  vicar  on  earth,  and  the  infallible  in  whatever  he  says, 
and  doth  submit  himself  to  confess  his  sins  to  a  man,  and  a  man 
too  that  has  no  other  power  to  correct  him,  to  advise  and  impose 
a  penance  upon  the  most  holy  one,  than  what  his  holiness  has 

*  The  lives  of  the  Popes,  and  the  sacrifice  tf  Mass. 


16  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

been  pleased  to  grant  him?  Every  body  indeed  that  has  a 
grain  of  sense  of  religion,  and  reflects  seriously  on  it. 

I  come  now  to  their  Auricular  Confession,  and  of  the  ways 
and  methods  they  practise  and  observe  in  the  confessing  of  their 
sins.  There  is  among  them  two  ranks  of  people,  learned  and 
unlearned.  The  learned  confess  by  these  three  general  heads, 
bought,  word,  and  deed,  reducing  into  them  all  sorts  of  sins. 
The  unlearned  confess  the  ten  commandments,  discovering  by 
.  kem  all  the  mortal  sins  which  they  have  committed  since  their 
L«J5t  confession.  I  say  mortal  sins;  for  as  to  the  venial  sins  or 
sj^  of  a  small  matter,  the  opinion  of  their  casuistical  authors* 
is,  they  are  washed  away  by  the  sign  of  the  cross,  or  by  sprink- 
ling the  face  with  the  holy  water.  To  the  discovery  of  the  mor- 
tal sinSy  the  father  confessor  doth  very  much  help  the  peniient; 
for  he  scmetimes,  out  of  pure  zeal,  but  most  commonly  out  of 
curiosity,  asks  them  many  questions  to  know  whether  they  do 
remember  all  their  sins  or  not?  By  these  and  the  like  ques- 
tions, the  corifessors  do  more  mischief  than  good,  especially  to 
the  ignorant  people  and  young  women;  for  perhaps  they  do  not 
know  what  simple  fornication  is?  What  voluntary  or  involun- 
tary pollution?  What  impure  desire?  What  simple  motion  of 
our  hearts?  What  relapse,  reincidence,  or  reiteration  of  sins? 
and  the  like;  and  then  by  the  confessor's  indiscreet  questions, 
the  penitents  learn  things  of  which  they  never  had  dreamed 
before;  and  when  they  come  to  that  tribunal  with  a  sincere, 
ignorant  heart,  to  recei\^e  advice  and  instruction,  they  go  home 
with  light,  knovvledge,  aud  an  idea  of  sins  unknown  to  them 
before. 

I  said,  that  the  confesso.-s  do  ask  questions,  most  commonly 
out  of  curiosity,  though  they  are  warned  by  their  casuistical 
authors  to  be  prudent,  discreet,  and  very  cautious  in  the  ques- 
tions they  ask,  especially  if  the  penitent  be  a  young  woman, 
or  an  ignorant;  for  as  Pineda  says,!  It  is  better  to  let  them  go 
ignorant  than  instructed  in  rew  sins.  But  contrary  to  this 
good  maxim,  they  are  so  indiscreet  in  this  point,  that  I  saw  in 
the  city  of  Lisbon,  in  Portugal,  a  girl  often  years  of  age,  com- 
ing fron.  church,  ask  her  mother  what  deflouring  was?  For  the 
father  confessor  had  asked  her  whether  she  was  defloured  or 

*  Pares,  Irribarren,  and  Salasar,  in  his  compend.  Moral.  Sect.  12.  dc 
viliis  etpeccatis,  gives  a  cauilogue  of  the  venial  sins,  and  says,  among  others, 
^at  to  eat  flesh  on  a  day  prohibited  by  the  church,  without  minding  it,  was  so. 
To  kill  a  man,  throwing  a  stone  through  the  window,  or  being  drunk,  cj  in  the 
first  motion  of  his  passion,  are  venial  sins,  &c. 

t  Tract,  de  Penit.  Sect.  1.  sect.  vii. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  17 

nott  And  the  mother,  more  discreet  than  the  conffessor,  tola 
the  ejirl,  that  the  meaning  was,  whether  she  took  delight  in 
smeihng  flowers  or  not?  And  »o  she  stopped  her  child's  curi- 
osity. But  of  this  and  many  other  indiscretions  I  shall  speak 
more  particularly  by  and  by. 

Now  observe,  that  as  a  penitent  cannot  hide  any  thing  from 
the  spiritual  judge,  else  he  would  make  a  sacrilegious  confes- 
sion; so  I  cannot  hide  any  thing  from  the  public,  which  is  to  be 
my  hearer,  and  the  temporal  judge  of  my  work,  else  I  should 
betray  my  conscience:  Therefore,  (to  the  best  of  my  memory, 
and  as  one  that  expects  to  be  called  before  the  dreadful  tribu- 
nal of  God,  on  account  of  what  I  now  write  and  say,  if  I  do 
not  say  and  write  the  truth  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,)  I 
shall  give  a  faithful,  plain  account  of  the  Roman's  auricular 
confession,  and  of  the  most  usual  questions  and  answers  be- 
tween the  confessors  and  penitents;  and  this  I  shall  do  in  so 
plain  a  style  that  every  body  may  go  along  with  me. 

And  first,  it  is  very  proper  to  give  an  account  of  what  the 
penitents  do,  from  the  time  they  come  into  the  church  till  they 
begin  their  confession.  When  the  penitent  comes  into  the 
church,  he  takes  holy  water  and  sprinkles  his  face,  and,  ma- 
king the  sign  of  the  cross,  says,  per  signum  crucis  de  inimicis 
nostris  libera  nos  Deus  nostcr:  In  nomine  Patris  et  Filiij  et 
Spiritus  Sancti.  Amen.  i.  e.  By  the  sign  of  the  cross  deliver 
us  our  God  from  our  enemies,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen.  Then  the  penitent 
goes  on,  and  kneels  down  before  the  great  altar,  where  the 
great  host  (of  which  I  shall  speak  in  another  place)  is  kept  in  a 
neat  and  rich  tabernacle,  with  a  brass  or  silver  lamp,  hanging 
before  it,  and  burning  continually,  night  and  day.  There  he 
makes  a  prayer,  first  to  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar,  (as 
they  call  it)  after  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  to  the  titular  saints 
of  the  church.  Then  turns  about  upon  his  knees,  and  visits 
five  altars,  or  if  there  is  but  one  altar  in  the  church,  five  times 
that  altar,  and  says  before  each  of  them  five  times,  Pater  nos- 
tcr, iSz/C.  and  five  times  Ave  Maria,  &c.  with  Gloria  Patria,  &.c. 

Then  he  rises,  and  goes  to  the  confessionary :  i.  e.  The  con- 
fessing place,  where  the  confessor  sits  in  a  chair  like  our  hack 
ney  chairs,  which  is  most  commonly  placed  in  some  of  the 
chapels,  and  in  the  darkest  place  of  the  church.  The  chairs, 
generally  speaking,  have  an  iron  grate  at  each  side,  but  none 
at  all  before :  and  some  days  of  devotion,  or  on  a  great  festival, 
there  is  such  a  crowd  of  people  that  you  may  see  three  peni- 
tents at  once  about  the  chair,  one  at  each  grate,  and  the  other 
B  2 


18  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

at  the  door,  though  only  one  confesses  at  a  time,  whispering 
in  the  confessor's  ear,  that  the  others  should  not  hear  what  h« 
says;  and  when  one  has  done,  the  other  begins,  and  so  on :  But 
most  commonly  they  confess  at  the  door  of  the  chair,  one  after 
another;  for  thus  the  confessor  has  an  opportunity  of  knowing 
the  penitent:  And  though  many  gentlewomen,  either  out  of 
bashfulness,  shame,  or  modesty,  do  endeavor  to  hide  their  fa- 
ces with  a  fan,  or  veil,  notwithstanding  all  this  they  are  known 
by  the  confessor,  who,  if  curious,  by  crafty  questions  brings 
them  to  tell  him  their  names  and  houses,  and  this  in  the  very 
act  of  confession,  or  else  he  examines  theirfaces  when  the 
confession  s.  over  whilst  the  penitents  are  kissing  his  hand  or 
sleeve;  and  if  he  cannot  know  them  this  w^ay,  he  goes  himself 
to  give  the  sacrament,  and  then  every  one  being  obliged  to 
show  her  face,  is  known  by  the  curious  confessor,  who  doth 
this  not  without  a  private  view  and  design,  as  will  appear  at 
the  end  of  some  private  confessions. 

The  penitent  then  kneeling,  bows  herself  to  the  ground  be- 
fore the  confessor,  and  makes  again  the  sign  of  the  cross  in 
the  aforesaid  form;  and  having  in  her  hand  the  beads,  or  rosa- 
ry of  the  Virgin  Mary,  begins  the  general  confession  of  sins, 
which  some  say  in  Latin,  and  some  in  the  vulgar  tongue ;  there- 
fore it  seems  proper  to  give  a  copy  of  it  both  in  Latin  and 
English : — 

Confiteor  Deo  Omnipotenti ;  beatae  Mariae  semper  Virgini, 
beato  Michaeli  Archangelo,  beato  Joanni  Bapti.stae,  Sanctis 
apostolis  Petro  et  Paulo,  omnibus  Sanctis,  et  tibi.  Pater;  quia 
peccavi  nimis  cogitatione,  verbo,  et  opere,  mea  culpa,  mea 
culpa,  mea  maxima  culpa :  Ideo  precor  beatam  Mariam  sem- 
per Virginem,  beatum  Michaelem  Archangelum,  beatum  Joan- 
nem  Baptistam,  sanctos  apostolos  Petrum  et  Paulum,  omnes 
sanctos,  et  te.  Pater,  orare  pro  me  ad  Dominum  Deum  nos- 
trum.    Amen. 

I  do  confess  to  God  Almighty,  to  the  blessed  Mary,  always  a 
Virgin,  to  the  blessed  Archangel  Michael,  to  the  blessed  John 
Baptist,  to  the  holy  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  to  all  the  saints, 
and  to  thee,  O  Father,  that  I  have  too  much  sinned  by  thought, 
word,  and  deed,  by  my  fault,  by  my  fault,  by  my  greatest  fault . 
Therefore  I  beseech  the  blessed  Mary,  always  a  Virgin,  the 
blessed  Archangel  Michael,  the  blessed  John  Baptist,  the  holy 
apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  all  the  saints,  and  thee,  O  Father,  to 
pray  to  God  our  Lord  for  me.     Amen. 

This  done,  the  penitent  raises  him  from  his  prostration  to  his 
knees,  and  touching  with  his  lip  either  the  ear  or  the  cheek  of 


HAfiTEB-EEY  TO  POPEHT.  19 

tlio  Spiritual  Father,  begins  to  discover  his  eins  by  the  ten 
commandments :  And  here  it  may  be  necessary  to  give  a  trans- 
lation of  their  ten  commandments,  word  for  word. 

The  commandments  of  the  law  of  God  are  ten:  The  three 
first  do  pertain  to  the  honor  of  God  j  and  the  other  seven  to  the 
benefit  of  our  neighbor. 

I.     Thou  shalt  love  God  above  all  things. 
II.     Thou  shalt  not  swear. 

III.  Thou  shalt  sanctify  the  holy  days. 

IV.  Thou  shalt  lienor  thy  father  and  mother. 
V.     Thou  shalt  not  kill. 

VI.     Thou  shalt  not  commit  fornication. 

VII.     Thou  shalt  not  steal. 
VIII.     Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness,  nor  lie. 

IX.     Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife. 
X.     Thou  shalt  not  covet  the  things  which  are  anothers. 

These  ten  commandments  are  comprised  in  two,  viz:  To 
serve  and  love  God,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself  Amen. 

Now,  not  to  forget  any  thing  that  may  instruct  the  public,  it 
is  to  the  purpose  to  give  an  account  of  the  little  children's  con- 
fessions; 1  mean  of  those  that  have  not  yet  attained  the  seventh 
year  of  their  age;  for  at  seven  they  begin  most  commonly  to 
receive  the  sacrament,  and  confess  in  private  with  all  the  for- 
malities of  their  church. 

There  is  in  every  city,  in  every  parish,  in  every  town  and 
village,  a  Lent  preacher;  and  there  is  but  one  difference  among 
them,  viz. :  that  some  preachers  preach  every  day  in  Lent; 
some  three  sermons  a  week;  some  two,  viz.:  on  Wednesdays 
and  Sundays,  and  some  only  on  Sundays,  and  the  holy  days 
that  happen  to  fall  in  Lent.  The  preacher  of  the  parish  pitch- 
es upon  one  day  of  the  Aveek,  most  commonly  in  the  middle  of 
Lent,  to  hear  the  children's  confessions,  and  gives  notice  to 
the  congregation  the  Sunday  before,  that  every  father  of  a 
family  may  send  his  children,  both  boys  and  girls,  to  church, 
on  the  day  appointed,  in  the  afternoon.  The  mothers  dress 
their  children  the  best  they  can  that  day,  and  give  them  the 
offering  money  for  the  expiation  of  their  sins.  That  afcernoon 
is  a  holy  day  in  the  parish,  not  by  precept,  but  by  custom,  for 
no  parishioner,  either  old  or  young,  man  or  woman,  missetn  to 
go  and  hear  the  children's  confessions.  For  it  is  reckoned, 
among-  them,  a  greater  diversion  than  a  comedy,  as  you  may 
judge  by  the  following  account. 

The  day  appoints  1,  the  children  repair  to  church  at  three  of 
the  clock,  where  the  preacher  is  waiting  for  them  wUh  a  long 


20  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

reed  in  his  hand,  and  when  all  are  together,  (sometimes  150  in 
number,  and  sometimes  less,),  the  reverend  Father  placeth 
them  in  a  circle  round  himself,  and  then  kneeling  down,  (the 
children  also  doing  the  same,)  makes  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
says  a  short  prayer.  This  done,  he  exhortetji  the  children  to 
hide  no  sin  from  him,  but  to  tell  him  all  they  have  committed. 
Then  he  strikes,  with  his  reed,  the  child  whom  he  designs  to 
confess  the  first,  and  asks  him  the  following  questions : 

Confessor.  How  long  is  it  since  you  last  confessed? 

Boy.  Father,  a  whole  year,  or  the  last  Lent. 

Conf.  And  how  many  sins  have  you  committed  from  that 
lime  till  now? 

Boy.  Two  dozen. 

Now  the  confessor  asks  round  about. 

Conf.  And  you  ? 

Boy.  A  thousand  and  ten. 

Another  will  say  a  bag  full  of  small  lies,  and  ten  big  sins  j 
and  so  one  after  another  answers,  and  tells  many  childish 
things. 

Conf.  But  pray,  you  say  that  you  have  committed  ten  big 
sins,  tell  me  how  big? 

Boy.  As  big  as  a  tree. 

Conf.  But  tell  me  the  sins. 

Boy.  There  is  one  sin  I  committed,  which  I  dare  not  tell 
your  reverence  before  all  the  people ;  for  somebody  here  pre- 
sent will  kill  me,  if  he  heareth  me. 

Conf.  Well,  come  out  of  the  circle,  and  tell  it  me. 

They  both  go  out,  and  with  a  loud  voice,  he  tells  him,  tha 
such  a  day  he  stole  a  nest  of  sparrows  from  a  tree  of  another 
boy's,  and  that  if  he  knew  it,  he  would  kill  him.  Then  both 
come  again  into  the  circle,  and  the  father  asks  other  boys  and 
girls  so  many  ridiculous  questions,  and  the  children  answer 
him  so  many  pleasant,  innocent  things,  that  the  congregation 
laughs  all  the  while.  One  will  say,  that  his  sins  are  red,  ano- 
ther that  one  of  his  sins  is  white,  one  black,  and  one  green,  and 
in  these  trifling  questions  they  spend  two  hours'  time.  When 
the  congregation  is  weary  of  laughing,  the  Confessor  gives 
the  children  a  correction,  and  bids  them  not  to  sin  any  more, 
for  a  black  boy  takes  along  with  him  the  wicked  children 
Then  he  asks  the  offering,  and  after  he  has  got  all  from  them, 
gives  them  the  penance  for  their  sins.  To  one  he  says,  I  give 
you  for  penance,  to  eat  a  sweet  cake/^  to  another,  not  to  go  to 
school  the  day  following;  to  another,  to  desire  his  mother  to 
buy  him  a  new  hat,  and  such  things  as  these;  and  pronouncing^ 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  21 

the  words  of  absolution,  he  dismisseth  the  congregation  with 
Amen,  so  be  it,  every  year. 

These  are  the  first  tbundations  of  the  Romish  rehgion  for 
youth.  Now,  O  reader !  You  may  make  reflections  upon  it,  and 
the  more  you  will  reflect,  so  mueh  more  you  will  hate  the  cor- 
ruptions of  that  communion,  and  it  shall  evidently  appear  to 
you,  that  the  serious,  religious  instruction  of  our  church,  as  to 
the  youth,  is  reasonable,  solid,  and  without  reproach.  O!  that 
all  Protestants  would  remember  the  rules  they  learned  from 
their  youth,  and  practise  them  while  they  live  I  Sure  I  anv 
they  should  be  like  angels  on  earth,  and  blessed  forever  after 
death,  in  heaven. 

From  seven  till  fifteen,  there  is  no  extraordinary  thing  to  say 
of  young  people,  only  that  from  seven  years  of  age,  they  begin 
to  confess  in  private.  The  confessors  have  very  little  trouble 
with  such  young  people,  and  likewise  little  profit,  except  with 
a  Puella,  who  sometimes  begins  at  twelve  years  the  course  of 
a  lewd  life,  and  then  the  Confessor  finds  business  and  profit 
enough,  when  she  comes  to  confess.  Now  I  come  to  give  an 
account  of  several  private  confessions  of  both  sexes,  beginning 
from  people  of  fifteen  years  of  age.  The  confession  is  a  dia- 
logue between  the  Spiritual  Father  and  the  penitent;  there- 
fore I  shall  deliver  the  confessions  in  a  way  of  dialogue.  The 
letter  C.  signifies  Confessor,  and  several  other  letters  the 
names  of  the  penitents. 

The  confession  of  a  young  woman  m  Saragossa,  whom  I  shall  call  Mary. 
And  this  I  set  down  chiefly  to  show  tlie  common  form  of  their  confessing 
penitents.  The  thing  was  not  public ;  and  therefore  1  give  it  under  a  sup- 
posed name. 

Confessor.  How  long  is  it  since  you  last  confessed  ? 

Mary.  It  is  two  years  and  two  months. 

Conf.  Pray,  do  you  know  the  commandments  of  our  holy 
mother,  the  church? 

Mary.  Yea,  Fathei. 

Conf.  Rehearse  them. 

Mary.  The  commandments  of  our  holy  mother,  the  church, 
are  five.  1.  To  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  Holy  days.  2 
To  confess,  at  least,  once  in  a  year,  and  oftener,  if  there  be 
danger  of  death.  3.  To  receive  tl*e  eucharist.  4.  To  fast. 
5.  To  pay  tithes  and  Primitia.* 

*  Primitia  is  to  pay,  besides  the  tenth,  one  thirtieth  part  of  the  fniits  of  the 
«arth,  toweirds  the  repair  of  the  church  vestments,  &c. 


22  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

Conf.  Now  rehearse  the  seven  sacraments. 

Mary.  The  sacraments  of  the  holy  mother,  the  church,  are 
seven.  1.  Baptism.  2.  Confirmation.  3.  Penance.  4.  The 
Lord's  supper.  5.  Extreme  unction.  G.  Holy  orders.  7. 
Matrimony. — Amen. 

Conf.  You  see  in  the  second  commandment  of  the  church, 
and  in  the  third,  among  the  sacraments,  that  you  are  obliged 
to  confess  every  year.  Why  then  have  you  neglected  so  much 
longer  a  time  to  fulfil  the  precept  of  our  holy  mother? 

Mary.  As  I  was  young,  and  a  great  sinner,  I  was  ashamed, 
reverend  Father,  to  confess  my  sins  to  the  priest  of  our  parish, 
for  fear  he  should  know  me  by  some  passages  of  my  life, 
which  would  be  prejudicial  to  me,  and  to  several  other  per- 
sons related  to  my  family. 

Conf.  But  you  know  that  it  is  the  indispensable  duty  of  the 
minister  of  the  parish,  to  expose  in  the  church,  after  Easter, 
all  those  who  have  not  confessed,  nor  received  the  sacrament 
before  that  time. 

Mary.  I  do  know  it  very  well;  but  I  went  out  of  the  city 
towards  the  middle  of  Lent,  and  I  did  not  come  back  again  till 
after  Easter ;  and  when  I  was  asked  in  the  country,  whether  I 
had  confessed  that  Lent  or  not?  I  said,  that  I  had  done  it  in  the 
city :  and  when  the  minister  of  the  parish  asked  me  the  same 
question,  I  told  him,  I  had  done  it  in  the  country.  So,  with 
this  lie,  I  freed  myself  fi'om  the  public  censure  of  the  church. 

Conf.  And  did  you  perform  the  last  penance  imposed  upon 
you? 

Mary.  Yea,  Father,  but  not  with  that  exactness  I  was  com- 
manded. 

Conf.  What  was  the  penance? 

Mary.  To  fast  three  days  upon  bread  and  water,  and  to  give 
ten  reals  of  plate,*  and  to  say  five  masses  for  the  souls  in  pur- 
gatory. I  did  perform  the  first,  but  not  the  second,  because  I 
could  not  get  money  for  it  unknown  to  my  parents  at  that  time. 

Conf  Do  you  promise  me  to  perform  it  as  soon  as  you  can? 

Mary.  I  have  the  money  here,  which  I  will  leave  with  you, 
and  you  may  say,  or  order  another  priest  to  say  the  Masses. 

Corf.  Very  well :  but  tell  me  now,  what  reason  have  you 
cO  come  and  confess  out  of  the  time  appointed  by  the  church? 
Is  it  for  devotion,  to  quiet  your  conscience,  and  merely  to  make 
your  peace  with  God  Almighty,  or  some  worldly  end? 

Mary.  Good  Father,  pity  my  condition,  and  pray  put  me  ic 

*  A  real  of  plate  is  about  seven  pence  of  our  money  in  Irelani 


MA8TER-KEY  TO  POPJERY.  23 

the  right  A'ay  of  salvation,  for  I  am  ready  to  despair  of  God'3 
mercy,  if  you  do  not  quiet  and  ease  my  troubled  conscience. 
Now  I  will  answe.'  to  }  our  question :  the  reason  is,  because  a 
gentleman  who,  under  promise  of  marriage,  has  kept  me  these 
two  last  ye?trs,  is  dead  two  months  ago;  and  I  have  resolved 
in  my  heart  lo  retire  myself  into  a  monastery,  and  to  end  there 
my  days,  serving  God  and  his  holy  mother,  the  Virgin  iSIary. 

Conf.  Do  not  take  any  resolution  preci])itately,  tor,  ma}  be 
if  your  passion  grows  cool,  you  will  alter  your  mind;  and  I 
suspect,  with  a  great  deal  of  reason,  that  your  repentance  is 
not  sincere,  and  that  you  come  to  confess  out  of  sorrow  for 
the  gentleman's  death,  more  than  out  of  sorrow  for  your  sins; 
and  if  it  be  so,  I  advise  you  to  take  more  time  to  consider 
the  state  of  your  conscience,  and  to  come  to  me  a  fortnight 
hence. 

Mary.  My  Father,  all  the  world  shall  not  alter  my  mind, 
and  the  daily  remorse  of  my  conscience  brings  me  to  your 
feet,  with  a  full  resolution  to  confess  all  my  sins,  in  order  lo 
obtain  absolution,  and  to  live  a  new  life  hereafter. 

Conf.  If  it  is  so,  let  us,  in  the  name  of  God,  begin  the  con- 
fession, and  I  require  of  you  not  to  forget  any  circumstance  of 
sin,  which  may  contribute  to  ease  your  conscience.  Above 
all,  I  desire  of  you  to  lay  aside  shame,  while  you  confess  your 
sins;  for,  suj)pose  that  your  sins  exceed  the  number  of  stars, 
or  the  number  of  the  sands  of  the  sea,  God's  mercy  is  infinite, 
and  accepts  of  the  true,  penitent  heart;  for  he  wills  not  the 
death  of  a  sinner,  but  that  he  should  repent   and  turn  to  him. 

Mary.  I  do  design  to  open  freely  my  heart  to  you,  and  to 
follow  your  advice,  as  to  the  spiritual  course  of  my  life. 

Conf.  Begin  then  by  the  first  commandment. 

Mary.  I  do  confess,  in  this  commandment,  that  I  have  not 
loved  God  above  all  things;  for  all  my  care,  these  two  years 
past,  has  been  to  please  Don  Francisco,  in  whatever  thing  he 
desired  me,  and,  to  the  best  of  my  memory,  I  did  not  think  of 
God,  nor  of  his  mother,  Mary,  for  many  m.onths  together. 

Conf  Have  you  constantly  frequented  the  assemblies  of 
the  faithful,  and  heard  Mass  on  Sundays,  and  holy  days? 

Mary.  No,  Father;  sometimes  I  have  been  four  montlis 
without  nfoinor  to  church. 

Conf.  You  have  done  a  great  injury  to  your  soul,  and  you 
have  given  a  great  scandal  to  your  neighbors. 

Mary.  As  for  the  first,  I  own  it,  for  every  Sunday  and  holy 
day  I  went  out  in  the  morning,  and  in  so  populous  a  city,  they 
tould  not  know  the  church     used  to  resort  to. 


34  'master-key  to  popery. 

Conf.  Did  it  come  into  your  mind  all  this  while,  that  God 
would  punish  you  for  your  sins  ? 

Mary.  Yea,  Father :  but  the  Virgin  Mary  is  my  advocate. 
I  keep  her  image  by  my  bedside,  and  used  to  address  my 
prayer  to  her  every  night  before  I  went  to  bed,  and  I  always 
had  a  great  hope  in  her. 

Cojrf.  If  your  devotion  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  so  fervent, 
you  must  believe  that  your  heart  is  moved  to  repentance  by 
her  influence  and  mediation ;  and  I  charge  you  to  continue  the 
same  devotion  while  you  live,  and  fear  nothing  afterwards. 

Mary.  That  is  my  design. 

Conf.  Go  on. 

Mary.  The  second  commandment  is,  Thou  shalt  not  swear. 
I  never  was  guilty  of  swearing,  but  I  have  a  custom  of  saying, 
Such  a  thing  is  so,  as  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven:  an4 
this  I  repeat  very  often  every  day. 

Conf.  That  is  a  sinful  custom^  for  v/e  cannot  swear  nor 
affirm  any  thing  by  heaven  or  earth,  as  the  scripture  tells  usj 
and  less  by  Him  who  has  the  throne  of  his  habitation  in  hea- 
ven: so  you  must  break  off  that  custom,  or  else  you  commit  a 
sin  every  time  you  make  use  of  it.     Go  on. 

Mary.  The  third  is,  Thou  shalt  sanctify  the  holy  days.  1 
have  told  you  already,  my  spiritual  Father,  that  I  have  ne- 
glected, sometimes,  to  go  to  Mass,  four  months  together;  and 
to  the  best  of  my  memory,  in  these  two  years  and  two  months, 
I  have  missed  sixty  Sundays  and  holy  days  going  to  Mass, 
and  when  I  did  go,  my  mind  was  so  much  taken  up  with  oth- 
er diversions,  that  I  did  not  mind  the  requisite  devotion,  for 
which  I  am  heartily  sorry. 

Conf.  I  hope  you  will  not  do  so  for  the  future ;  and  so,  ga 
on. 

Mary.  The  fourth  is.  Thou  shalt  honor  father  and  mother 
I  have  father  and  mother;  as  to  my  father,  I  do  love,  honoi 
and  fear  him ;  as  to  my  mother,  I  do  confess,  that  I  have  an- 
swered and  acted  contrary  to  the  duty,  respect,  and  reverence 
due  to  her,  for  her  suspecting  and  watching  my  actions  and 
falsesteps,  and  giving  me  a  christian  correction :  I  have  abus- 
ed her,  nay,  sometimes,  I  have  lifted  up  my  hand  to  threaten 
ner;  and  these  proceedings  of  mine  towards  my  good  mother, 
torture  now  my  heart. 

Conf  I  am  glad  to  observe  your  grief,  and  you  may  be 
sure,  God  will  forgive  you  these  and  other  sins  upon  your 
hearty  repentance,  if  you  persevere  in  it.     Go  on. 

Mary.     The  fifth  is,  Thou  shalt  not  kill.     I  have  not  trans- 


MASTEE-KEY   TO   rOPERT.  25 

grossed  this  commandment  effectively  and  immcdiattly,  but  I 
have  done  it  affectively  and  mediately,  and  at  second  handj 
for  a  gentlewoman,  who  was  a  great  hindrance  to  my  designs, 
once  provoked  me  to  such  a  pitch,  that  1  put  in  execution  all 
the  means  of  revenge  1  could  think  of,  and  gave  ten  pistoles 
to  an  assassin,  to  take  away  her  life. 

Conf.    And  did  he  kill  her? 

Mary.  No,  Father,  for  she  kept  her  house  for  three  months, 
and  in  that  time  we  were  reconciled,  and  now  we  arc  very 
good  friends. 

Conf.  Have  you  asked  her  pardon,  and  told  her  your  de- 
sign? 

Mary.  I  did  not  tell  her  in  express  terms,  but  I  told  her 
that  I  had  an  ill  will  to  her,  and  that  at  that  time  I  could  have 
killed  her,  had  I  got  an  opportunity  for  it:  for  which  I  hearti- 
ly bogged  her  pardon:  she  did  forgive  me,  and  so  we  livo 
ever  since  like  two  sisters. 

Conf.     Go  on. 

Mary.  The  sixth.  Thou  shall  not  commit  fornication.  In 
the  first  place,  I  do  confess  that  I  have  unlawfully  conversed 
with  the  said  Don  Francisco,  for  two  years,  and  this  unlawful 
commerce  has  made  me  fall  into  many  other  sins. 

Conf.     Did  he  promise  solemnly  to  marry  you. 

Mary.  He  did,  but  could  not  perform  it,  while  his  father 
was  alive. 

Conf  Tell  me,  from  the  beginning,  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  and  to  the  best  of  your  memory,  your  sinful  thoughts, 
words,  actions,  nay,  your  very  dreams,  al30ut  this  matter. 

Mary.  Father,  the  gentleman  was  our  neighbor,  of  a  good 
family  and  fortune,  and  by  means  of  the  neighborly  friendship 
of  our  parents,  we  had  the  opportunity  to  talk  with  one  anoth- 
er as  much  as  we  pleased.  For  two  years  together,  we  loved 
one  another  in  innocence,  but  at  last  he  discovered  to  me  one 
day,  when  our  parents  were  abroad,  the  great  inclination  he 
had  for  me;  and  that  having  grown  to  a  passion,  and  this  to 
an  inexpressible  love,  he  could  no  longer  hide  it  from  me: 
that  his  design  was  to  marry  mo  as  soon  as  his  father  should 
die,  and  that  he  was  willing  to  give  me  all  the  proofs  of  sin- 
cerity and  unfeigned  love  I  could  desire  from  him.  To  this  I 
answered,  that  if  it  was  so,  I  was  ready  to  promise  never  to 
marry  another  during  his  life :  To  this,  he  took  a  sign  of  the 
crucifix  in  his  hands,  and  bowing  down  before  an  image  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  called  the  four  elements  to  be  witnesses  of  the 
imcerity  of  his  vows,  nay,  all  the  saints  of  the  heavenly  courtr 

C 


26  lilASTER-KET   TO   POrERT.  ^ 

to  appear  against  him  in  the  day  of  judgment,  if  he  wm  no( 
true  in  heart  and  words;  and  said,  that  by  the  crucifix  in  his 
hands,  and  by  the  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  there  present,  he 
promised  and  swore  never  to  marry  another  during  my  hfe.— 
I  answered  him  in  the  same  manner ;  and  ever  since,  we  have 
lived  with  the  familiarities  of  husband  and  wife.  The  effect 
of  this  reciprocal  promise  was  the  ruin  of  my  soul,  and  the 
beginning  of  my  sinful  life;  for  ever  since,  I  minded  nothing 
else,  but  to  please  him  and  myself,  when  I  had  an  opportunity, 

Conf.     How  often  did  he  visit  you? 

Mary.  The  first  year  he  came  to  my  room  every  night, 
after  both  families  were  gone  to  bed;  for  in  the  vault  of  his 
house,  which  joins  to  ours,  we  dug  one  night  through  the  earth, 
and  made  a  passage  wide  enough  for  the  purpose,  which  we 
covered  on  each  side  with  a  large  earthen  water-jar;  and  by 
that  means  he  came  to  me  every  night.  But  my  grief  is 
double,  when  I  consider,  that,  engaging  my  own  maid  into 
this  intrigue,  I  have  been  the  occasion  of  her  ruin  too;  for  by 
my  ill  example,  she  lived  in  the  same  way  with  the  gentle- 
man's servant,  and  I  own  that  I  have  been  the  occasion  of  all 
her  sins  too. 

Conf.     And  the  second  year  did  he  visit  you  so  often? 

Mary.  No,  father;  for  the  breach  in  the  vault  was  discov- 
ered by  his  father,  and  was  stopped  immediately;  but  nobody 
suspected  any  thing  of  our  intimacy,  except  my  mother,  who 
from  something  she  had  observed,  began  to  question  me,  and 
afterwards  became  more  suspicious  and  watchful. 

Conf.  Did  any  effect  of  these  visits  come  to  light? 

Mary.  It  would,  had  I  not  been  so  barbarous  and  inhuman 
to  prevent  it,  by  a  remedy  I  took,  which  answered  my  pur- 
pose. 

Conf  And  how  could  you  get  the  remedy,  there  being  a 
rigorous  law  against  it? 

Mary.  The  procuring  it  brought  me  into  a  yet  wickeder 
life ;  for  I  was  acquainted  with  a  friar,  a  cousin  of  mine,  who 
had  always  expressed  a  great  esteem  for  me ;  but  one  day  after 
dinner,  being  alone,  he  began  to  make  love  to  me,  and  was 
going  to  take  greater  liberties  than  he  had  ever  done  before. 
I  told  him  that  if  he  could  keep  a  secret,  and  do  me  a  service, 
I  would  comply  with  his  desire.  He  promised  me  to  do  it 
upon  the  word  of  a  priest.  Then  I  told  him  my  business,  and 
the  day  after  he  brought  me  the  necessary  medicine  ;  and 
ever  since  I  was  freed  from  that  uneasiness.  I  have  lived  the 
eame  course  of  life  with  my  cousin ;  nay,  as  I  w  as  under  such 


MASTER-KEY    TO    rorERY.  27 

an  obligation  to  him,  I  have  ever  since  been  obliged  to  allow 
him  many  other  liberties  in  my  house. 

Conf.  Are  those  other  liberties  he  took  in  your  house  sin- 
ful or  not? 

Alary.  The  liberties  I  mean  are,  that  he  desired  ine  to 
gratify  his  companion  too,  several  times,  and  to  consent  that 
my  maid  should  satisfy  his  lusts ;  and  not  only  this,  but  by 
desiring  mo  to  corrupt  one  of  my  friends,  he  has  ruined  her 
soul;  for,  being  in  the  same  condition  I  had  been  in  before,  I 
was  obliged,  out  of  fear,  to  furnish  her  with  the  same  remedy, 
wliich  produced  the  same  effect.  Besides  these  wicked  ac- 
tions, I  have  robbed  my  parents  to  supply  him  with  whatever 
money  he  demanded. 

Conf.  But  as  to  Don  Francisco,  pray  tell  me,  how  of\en 
did  he  visit  you  since? 

Mary.  The  second  year  he  could  not  see  me  in  private 
but  very  seldom,  and  in  a  sacred  place ;  for  having  no  oppor- 
tunity at  home,  nor  abroad,  I  used  to  go  to  a  little  chapel  out 
of  the  town;  and  having  gained  the  hermit  with  money,  we 
continued  our  commerce,  that  way,  for  six  or  eight  times  the 
second  year. 

Conf.  Your  sins  are  aggravated,  both  by  the  circumstance 
of  the  sacred  place,  and  by  your  cousin's  being  a  Priest,  be- 
sides the  two  murders  committed  by  you,  one  in  yourself,  and 
the  other  in  your  friend.  Nay,  go  on,  if  you  have  any  more 
to  say  upon  this  subject. 

Mary.  I  have  nothing  else  to  say,  as  to  the  commandment, 
but  that  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  all  these  my  misdoings. 

Conf.     Go  on. 

Mary.  The  seventh.  Thou  shalt  not  steal.  I  have  nothing 
to  confess  in  this  commandment  but  what  I  have  told  you  al- 
ready, i.  e.  that  I  have  stolen  many  things  from  my  father's 
house,  to  satisfy  my  cousin's  thirst  of  money;  and  that  I  have 
advised  my  friend  to  do  the  same ;  though  this  was  done  by 
me,  only  for  fear  that  he  should  expose  us,  if  we  had  not  given 
him  what  he  desired. 

Conf.  And  do  you  design  to  continue  the  same  life  with 
your  cousin,  for  fear  of  being  discovered? 

Mary.  No,  Father;  for  he  is  sent  to  another  convent,  to 
be  professor  of  divinity  for  three  years ;  and  if  he  comes  back 
again,  he  shall  find  me  in  a  monastery ;  and  then  I  will  be 
safe,  and  free  from  his  wricked  attempts. 

Conf     How  long  is  it  since  he  went  away? 

Mary,    Three  months,  and  his  companion  is  dead;  so,  God 


28  MASTER-KEY  lO  POPERY. 

be  thanked,  I  am  without  any  apprehension  or  fear  now,  ana 
I  hope  to  see  my  good  design  accomplished. 

Conf.     Go  on. 

Mary.  The  eighth  is,  Thoti  shalt  not  hear  false  witness 
nor  lie.  The  ninth,  Tliou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  loife. 
The  tenth.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  any  things  which  are  ancther'^s, 
I  know  nothing  in  these  three  commandments,  that  trouble  my 
conscience  :  Therefore,  I  conclude  by  confessing,  in  general 
and  particular,  all  the  sins  of  my  whole  life,  committed  by 
thought,  word  and  deed,  and  I  am  heartily  sorry  for  them  all, 
and  ask  God's  pardon,  and  your  advice,  penance  and  absolu- 
tion.    Amen. 

Conf.  Have  you  trangressed  the  fourth  commandment  of 
the  church? 

My'ry.  Yea,  father;  for  I  did  not  fast  as  it  prescribes,  for 
though  I  did  abstain  from  flesh,  yet  I  did  not  keep  the  form  of 
fasting  these  two  years  past;  but  I  have  done  it  since  the  gen- 
tleman's death. 

Conf  Have  you  this  year  taken  the  bull  of  indulgences? 

Mary  Yea,  Father. 

Conf  Have  you  visited  five  altarsj  the  days  appointed  for 
his  holiness  to  take  a  soul  out  of  purgatory? 

Mary.  I  did  not  for  several  days. 

Conf  Do  you  promise  me,  as  a  minister  of  God,  and  as  if 
you  were  now  before  the  tribunal  of  the  dreadful  judge,  to 
amend  your  life,  and  to  avoid  all  the  occasions  of  falling  into 
the  same  or  other  sins,  and  to  frequent  for  the  future,  this 
sacrament,  and  the  others,  and  to  obey  the  commandments 
of  God,  as  things  absolutely  necessary  to  the  salvation  of  your 
soul? 

3Iary.  That  is  my  design,  with  the  help  of  God,  and  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary,  in  whom  I  put  my  whole  trust  and  confi- 
dence. 

Conf.  Your  contrition  must  be  the  foundation  of  your  new 
life,  for  if  you  fall  into  other  sins  after  this  signal  benefit  you 
have  received  from  God,  and  his  blessed  mother,  of  calling 
you  to  repentance,  it  will  be  a  hard  thing  for  you  to  obtain 
pardon  and  forgiveness.  You  see  God  has  taken  away  all  the 
obstacles  of  your  true  repentance;  pray  ask  continually  his 
grace,  that  you  may  make  good  use  of  these  heavenly  favors. 
But  you  ought  to  consider,  that  though  you  shall  be  freed  by 
my  absolution  from  the  eternal  pains  your  manifold  ^ns  de- 
serve, you  shall  not  be  free  from  the  sufferings  of  purgatory, 
where  your  soul  must  be  purified  by  fire,  if  you  in  this  pre* 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY  29 

sent  life  do  not  take  care  to  redeem  your  soul  from  that  terri- 
ble flame,  by  ordering  some  masses  for  the  relief  of  souls  in 
purgatory. 

Mary.  I  design  to  do  it  as  far  as  it  lies  in  my  power. 

Conf.  Now,  to  show  your  obedience  to  God,  and  our  moth- 
er, the  church,  you  must  perform  the  following  penance :  You 
must  fast  every  second  day,  to  mortify  your  lusts  and  passions, 
and  this  for  the  space  of  two  months.  You  must  visit  live  al- 
tars every  second  day,  and  one  privileged  altar,  and  say  in 
each  of  them  five  times  Pater  noster,  &:c.,  and  five  times  Ave 
Mary,  &lc.  You  must  say  too  every  day  for  two  months'  time, 
threc-and-thirty  times  the  creed,  in  honor  and  memory  of  the 
three-and-thirty  years  that  our  Saviour  did  live  upon  earth; 
and  you  must  confess  once  a  week ;  and  by  the  continuance  of 
these  spiritual  exercises,  your  soul  may  be  preserved  from 
several  temptations,  and  may  be  happy  forever. 

Mary.     I  will  do  all  that  with  the  help  of  God. 

Conf.  Say  the  act  of  contrition  by  which  I  absolve  you. 

Mary.  O  God,  my  God,  I  have  sinned  against  thee;  I  am 
heartily  sorry,  &.c. 

Conf.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  absolve  thee;  and  by  the  au- 
thority given  me,  I  absolve  thee,  &:c. 

A  private  confession  of  a  woman  to  a  Friar  of  tlie  Dominican  order,  laid 
down  in  writing  before  the  Moral  Academy,  1710,  and  the  opinions  of  die 
members  about  it.  Tlie  person  was  not  known,  therefore  I  shall  call 
her  Leonore. 

Leonore  did  confess  to  F.  Joseph  Riva  the  following  misdo 
ings: 

Leonore.  My  reverend  Father,  I  come  to  this  place  to 
make  a  general  confession  of  all  the  sins  I  have  committed 
in  the  whole  course  of  my  life,  or  of  all  those  I  can  re- 
member. 

Conf.  How  long  have  you  been  preparing  yourself  for  this 
general  confession? 

Leon.  Eight  days. 

Conf.  Eight  daj's  are  not  enough  to  recollect  yourself,  and 
bring  into  your  memory  all  the  sins  of  your  life. 

Leon.  Father,  have  patience  till  vou  hear  me,  and  then  you 
may  judge  whether  my  confession  be  perfect  or  imperfect. 

Conf  Aid  hrw  long  is  it  since  you  confessed  the  last 
time? 

Leon.  The  last  time  I  confessed  was  the  Sunday  before 
Easter,  which  is  eleven  months  and  twenty  days. 

c  2 


30  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

Conf.  Did  you  accomplish  the  penance  then  imposed  upoh 
you? 

Leon.  Yea,  fatlier. 

Conf.  Begin  then  your  confession. 

Leon.  I  have  neglected  my  duty  towards  God,  by  whose 
holy  name  I  have  many  times  sworn.  I  have  not  sanctified 
his  holy  days  as  I  was  obliged  by  law,  nor  honored  my  pa- 
rents and  superiors.  I  have  many  and  many  times  desired 
the  death  of  my  neighbors,  when  I  was  in  a  passion.  I  have 
been  deeply  engaged  in  amorous  intrigues  with  many  people 
of  all  ranks,  but  these  two  years  past  most  constantly  with 
Don  Pedro  Hasta,  who  is  the  only  support  of  my  life. 

Conf.  Now  I  find  out  the  reason  why  you  have  so  long  ne- 
glected to  come  and  confess ;  and  I  do  expect,  that  you  will  tell 
me  all  the  circumstances  of  your  life,  that  I  may  judge  the 
present  state  of  your  conscience. 

Leon.  Father,  as  for  the  sins  of  my  youth,  till  I  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  they  are  of  no  great  consequence,  and  I  hope 
God  will  pardon  me.  Now  my  general  confession  begins  from 
that  time,  when  I  fell  into  the  first  sin,  which  was  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner: 

The  confessor  of  our  family  was  a  Franciscan  friar,  who 
was  absolute  master  in  our  house ;  for  my  father  and  mother 
were  entirely  governed  by  him.  It  was  about  that  time  of  my 
life  I  lost  my  mother ;  and  a  month  after  her  my  father  died, 
leaving  all  his  substance  to  the  father  confessor,  to  dispose  of 
at  his  own  fancy,  reserving  only  a  certain  part  which  I  was  to 
have,  to  settle  me  in  the  world,  conditionally  that  I  was  obe- 
dient to  him.  A  month  after  my  father's  death,  on  pretence 
of  taking  care  of  every  thing  that  was  in  the  house,  he  ordered 
a  bed  for  himself  in  the  chamber  next  to  mine,  where  my  maid 
also  used  to  lie.  After  supper,  the  first  night  he  came  home, 
he  addressed  himself  thus  to  me :  My  daughter,  you  may  with 
reason  call  me  your  father,  for  you  are  the  only  child  your 
father  left  under  my  care.  Your  patrimony  is  in  my  hands, 
and  you  ought  to  obey  me  blindly  in  every  thing:  So  in  the 
first  place  order  your  maid's  bed  to  be  removed  out  of  your 
own  chamber  into  another.  Which  being  done  accordingly, 
we  parted,  and  went  each  one  to  our  own  room;  but  scarcely 
had  an  hour  past  away,  when  the  father  came  into  my  cham- 
ber, and  what  by  flattery  and  promises,  and  what  by  threat- 
enings,  he  deprived  me  of  my  best  patrimony,  my  innocence. 
'Ne  continued  this  course  of  life  till,  as  I  believe.  Vie  was  tired 
of  me :  for  two  nx>nths  after,   he  took  every  thing  out  of  tlio 


JLVSTER-KEY  TO  TOPERT.  31 

house,  and  went  to  his  convent,  where  he  died  in  ten  days 
lime;  and  by  liis  death  I  lost  the  patrimony  left  me  by  my  fa- 
ther, and  with  it  all  my  support;  and  as  my  parents  had  spared 
nothing  in  my  education,  ana  as  I  had  always  been  kept  in  the 
greatest  alHuence,  you  may  judge  how  I  was  affected  by  the 
miserable  circumstances  I  was  then  left  in,  with  servants  to 
maintain,  and  nothing  in  the  world  to  supply  even  the  neces- 
sary expenses  of  my  house.  This  made  me  the  more  ready 
to  accept  the  first  offer  that  should  be  made  me,  and  my  con- 
dition being  known  to  an  officer  of  the  army,  he  came  to  offer 
me  his  humble  services.  I  complied  with  his  desire,  and  so  for 
two  years  we  lived  together,  till  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
pair to  his  regiment  at  Catalonia;  and  though  he  left  me  ap- 
pointments more  than  sufficient  for  my  subsistence  during  his 
alisence,  yet  all  our  correspondence  was  soon  broken  off  by  his 
death,  which  happened  soon  after.  Then,  resolving  to  alter 
my  life  and  conversation,  I  went  to  confess,  and  after  having 
given  an  account  to  my  confessor  of  my  life,  he  asked  my 
name,  did  promise  to  come  the  next  day  to  see  me,  and  to  put 
me  into  a  comfortable  and  creditable  way  of  living.  I  was 
very  glad  to  get  such  a  patron,  and  so  the  next  day  I  waited  at 
home  for  him. 

The  father  came,  and  after  various  discourses,  he  took  me 
by  the  hand  into  my  chamber,  and  told  me  that  if  I  was  wil- 
ling to  put  in  his  hands  my  jewels,  and  what  other  things  of 
value  I  had  got  from  the  ollicer,  he  would  engage  to  get  a 
gentleman  suitable  to  my  condition  to  marry  me.  I  did  every 
thinrj  as  he  desired  me;  and  so  taking  along  with  him  all  I  had 
in  the  world,  he  carried  them  to  his  cell. 

The  next  day  he  came  to  see  me,  and  made  me  another 
proposal,  very  different  from  what  I  expected ;  for  he  told  me 
that  I  must  comply  with  his  desire,  or  else  he  would  expose 
me,  and  inform  against  me  before  the  holy  tribunal  of  the  in- 
quisition: So,  rather  than  incur  that  danger,  I  did  for  the  space 
of  six  months,  in  which,  having  nothing  to  live  upon,  (for  he 
kept  my  jewels,)  I  was  obliged  to  abandon  myself  to  many 
other  gentlemen,  by  whom  I  was  maintained. 

At  last,  he  left  me,  and  I  still  continued  my  wricked  life,  un- 
lawfully conversing  with  married  and  unmarried  gentlemen  a 
whole  year,  and  not  daring  to  confess,  for  fear  of  experiencing 
the  same  treatment  from  another  confessor. 

Conf.  But  how  could  you  fulfil  the  precept  of  the  church, 
and  not  be  exposed  in  the  church  after  Easter,  all  that  while? 

Leon.  I  went  to  an  old  easy  father,  and  promised  liim  a  piS' 


32  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

tole  for  a  certificate  of  confession,  which  he  gave  me  witn 
out  further  inquiring  into  the  matter;  and  so  I  did  satisfy  the 
curate  of  the  parish  with  it.  But  last  year  I  went  to  confess, 
and  the  confessor  was  very  strict,  and  would  not  give  me  abso- 
lution, because  I  was  an  habitual  sinner;  but  I  gave  him  five 
pistoles  for  ten  masses,  and  then  he  told  me  that  a  confessor's 
duty  was  to  take  care  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and  that  upon 
their  account  he  could  not  refuse  me  absolution;  so  by  that 
way  I  escaped  the  censure  of  the  church. 

Conf.     How  long  is  it  since  you  broke  off  your  sinful  life? 

Leon.     But  six  weeks. 

Conf.  I  cannot  absolve  you  now,  but  come  again  next 
Thursday,  and  I  will  consult  upon  all  the  circumstances  of 
your  life  and  then  I  will  absolve  you. 

Leon.  Father,  I  have  more  to  say :  For  I  stole  from  the 
."^hurch  a  chalice,  by  the  advice  of  the  said  confessor,  and  he 
made  use  himself  of  the  money  I  got  for  the  silver,  which  I 
cut  in  pieces;  and  I  did  converse  unlawfully  several  times  in 
the  church  with  him.  To  this  I  must  add  an  infinite  number 
of  sins  by  thought,  word  and  deed,  I  have  committed  in  this 
time,  especially  with  the  last  person  of  my  acquaintance, 
though  at  present  I  am  free  from  him. 

Conf.  Pray  give  me  leave  to  consult  upon  all  these  things, 
and  I  will  resolve  them  to  you  the  next  confession ;  now  go 
in  peace. 

The  first  point  to  be  resolved  was  whether  Leonore  could 
sue  the  Franciscan  convent  for  the  patrimony  left  by  her  fa- 
ther in  the  confessor's  hands? 

The  president  went  through  all  the  reasons,  ;?ro  and  cow, 
and  after  resolved,  that  although  the  said  Leonore  was  never 
disobedient  to  her  confessor,  she  could  not  sue  the  community 
without  lessening  her  own  reputation,  and  laying  upon  the  or- 
der so  black  a  crime  as  that  of  her  confessor;  and  that  it  was 
the  common  maxim  of  all  casuists  that.  In  rebus  dubiis,  mini- 
mum est  sequendum,  in  things  doubtful,  that  of  the  least  evil 
consequence  is  to  be  pursued;  and  seeing  the  losing  of  her 
patrimony  would  be  less  damage  than  the  exposing  of  the 
whole  Franciscan  order,  and  her  own  reputation:  It  did  saem 
proper  to  leave  the  thing  as  it  was. 

The  second  point  to  be  resolved  was  whether  Leonore  was 
in  proxima  occasione  pcccati,  in  the  next  occasion  of  sin,  with 
such  a  confessor  the  two  first  months? 

Six  members  of  the  academy  did  think  that  she  was;  for 
unmediute  occasion  of  sin  signifies,  that  the  person  may  satisfy 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  33 

his  passions  toties  quoties,  without  any  impediment  which  Leo- 
nore  could  do  all  that  while.  But  the  other  memb(;rs  of  the 
academy  did  object  against  it:  That  the  nature  of  occasio 
•proxima,  besides  the  said  '  eason,  implies  freedom  and  liberty, 
which  Leonore  did  want  at  that  time,  being  as  she  was,  young, 
inexperienced,  timorous,  and  under  the  confessor's  care  and 
[DoNver;  so  it  was  resolved,  that  she  was  not  the  first  two  months 
in  j)roxima  occasione  pecrati. 

The  third  point:  Whether  she  committed  greater  sin  with 
the  second  confessor,  who  threatened  her  with  the  inquisition? 
And  whether  she  was  obliged  to  undergo  all  the  hardships, 
nay,  death  itself,  rather  than  comply  with  the  confessor's 
desire? 

It  was  resolved  ncmine  contradiccnte,  that  she  was  obliged 
for  self-preservation's  sake,  to  comply  with  the  friar's  desire 
and  therefore  her  sin  was  less  than  other  sins. 

The  fourth:  Whether  she  was  obliged  to  make  restitution 
of  the  chalice  she  stole  out  of  the  church  by  the  advice  of  the 
confessor? 

The  members  could  not  agree  in  the  decision  of  this  point, 
for  some  were  of  opinion  that  boJh  she  and  the  friar  were  obli- 
ged to  make  restitution  grounded  in  the  moral  maxim:  Faci- 
etitcs,  ct  consenticntes  eadcm  pacna  puniuntur,  those  that  act 
and  those  who  consent  are  to  be  punished  alike.  Others  said, 
that  Leonore  was  only  an  instrument  of  theft,  and  that  the 
friar  did  put  her  in  the  way  of  doing  what  she  never  had  done, 
but  for  fear  of  him,  and  that  she  was  forced  to  do  it;  therefore, 
that  she  had  not  committed  sacrilege,  nay,  nor  venial  sin  by 
it;  and  that  the  friar  only  was  guilty  of  sacrilege  and  rob- 
bery, and  obliged  to  make  restitution.  Upon  this  division,  th'^ 
Rev.  Mr.  Ant.  Palomo,  then  professor  of  philosophy,  was  ap 
pointed  to  lay  the  case  before  the  members  of  the  great  acad 
emy,  with  this  limitation,  that  he  should  not  mention  any 
thing  of  the  friar  in  it,  except  the  members  of  the  academy 
should  ask  him  the  aggravating  circumstances  in  the  case. 

He  did  it  accordingly,  and  being  asked  by  the  president 
about  the  circumstances,  it  w'as  resolved  that  Leonore  w^as 
free  from  restitution,  taking  a  bull  of  pardons.  And  as  foi 
the  friar,  by  his  belonging  to  the  community,  and  having  noth- 
'ng  of  his  own,  and  obliged  to  leave  at  his  death,  every  thing 
to  the  convent,  he  must  be  excused  from  making  such  restitu  - 
tion,  &:c. 

The  fifth  point :  Wliether  the  church  was  desecratcyl  by 
their  unlawful  commerce?  and   whether  the   confe8S(?*T    was 


di  MASTER- KEY   TO   TOrERY. 

obliged  to  reveal  the   nature  of  the  thing  to  Jie  bishop  or 
not? 

As  to  the  first  part,  all  did  agree,  that  the  church  was  pol 
luted.  As  to  the  second,  four  were  of  opinion,  that  the  thing 
was  to  be  revealed  to  the  bishop  in  general  terms;  but  sixteen 
did  object  against  it,  and  said  that  the  dominical,  asperges  me 
Hysopo,  et  mundahor,  thou  shalt  sprinkle  me  with  hysop,  and 
I  shall  be  clean,  &c.  When  the  priest  with  the  holy  water 
and  hysop  sprinkles  the  church,  it  was  enough  to  restore  and 
purify  the  church. 

After  which,  the  president  moved  another  question,  viz: 
Whether  this  private  confession  was  to  be  entered  in  the  aca- 
demy's book;  ad perpetuam  rei  memoriam,  in  perpetual  mem- 
ory of  the  thing.  And  it  was  agreed  to  enter  the  cases  and 
resolutions,  mentioning  nothing  concerning  the  confessors,  nor 
their  orders.  Item,  it  was  resolved  that  the  proponent  could 
safely  in  conscience  absolve  Leonore  the  next  confession,  if 
she  had  the  bull  of  indulgences,  and  promised  to  be  zealous 
m  the  correction  and  penance,  which  he  was  to  give  her  &c. 
And  accordingly  he  did,  and  Leonore  was  absolved. 

The  private   confession  proposed    in  the  Academy,  by  father  Gasca,  Jesuit, 
and  member  of  the  Academy:  of  a  woman  of  tliuty-three  years  of  age. 

Most  reverend  and  learned  fathers,  I  have  thought  fit  not 
to  trouble  you  with  the  methodical  way  of  private  confession  I 
heard  last  Sunday,  but  to  give  you  only  an  account  of  the  diffi- 
cult case  in  it.  The  case  is  this :  a  woman  of  thirty-three 
years  of  age,  came  to  confess,  and  told  me,  that  from  sixteen 
years  of  age,  till  twenty-four,  she  had  committed  all  sorts  of 
lev/dness,  only  with  ecclesiastical  persons,  having  in  every 
convent  a  friar,  who,  under  the  name  of  cousin,  did  use  to  vis- 
it her: — and  notwithstanding  the  multiplicity  of  cousins,  she 
lived  so  poorly,  that  she  was  forced  to  turn  procuress  at  the 
game  time,  for  new  cousins,  and  that  she  had  followed  that 
wicked  life  till  thirty-two  years  of  age.  The  last  year  she 
dreamed  that  the  devil  was  very  free  with  her,  and  those 
dreams  or  visions  continuing  for  a  long  while,  she  found  her- 
self with  child ;  and  she  protests  that  she  knew  no  man  for  four- 
teen months  before. — She  is  delivered  of  a  boy,  and  she  says 
that  he  is  the  devil's  son,  and  that  her  conscience  is  so  troub- 
led about  it,  that  if  I  do  not  find  some  way  to  quiet  her  mind 
she  will  lay  violent  hands  upon  herself.  I  asked  her  leave  to 
consult  the  case,  with  a  promise  to  resolve  it  next  Sunday, 
Nc  w  I  ask  your  wise  advice  upon  this  case. 


MASTER-KEY   TO   POPEKY.  35 

The  president  said,  that  the  case  was  impossible,  and  that 
the  woman  was  mad;  that  he  was  of  the  opinion  to  send  the 
woman  to  the  physicians  to  be  cured  of  some  bodily  distemper 
sne  was  troubled  with.  The  Jesuit  proponent  replied,  that 
the  woman  was  in  her  perfect  senses',  and  that  the  case  well 
required  further  consideration :  upon  which,  F.  Antonio  Pal- 
onio,  wlio  was  reputed  the  most  learned  of  the  academy,  said, 
that  saint  Augustiji  treats  dc  Incuho  ct  Sucuho,  and  he  would 
examine  the  case,  and  see  wliether  he  might  not  give  some 
Kght  for  the  resolution  of  the  case? 

And  another  member  said,  that  there  was  in  the  case  some- 
thing more  than  apparition  and  devilish  liberty,  and  that  he 
thouglit  tit  that  the  father  Jesuit  should  inquire  more  carefully 
into  the  matter,  and  go  himself  to  examine  the  house,  and 
question  the  people  of  it;  which  being  approved  by  the  whole 
assembly,  he  did  it  the  next  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon, 
being  an  extraordinary  meeting,  he  came  and  said. 

Most  reverend  and  learned  fathers,  the  woman  was  so 
strongly  possessed  with  such  a  vision,  that  she  has  made  pub- 
lic the  case  among  the  neighbors,  and  it  is  spread  abroad. 
Upon  which  the  inquisitors  did  send  for  the  woman  and  the 
maid,  and  this  has  discovered  the  whole  story,  viz:  That  fa- 
ther Conchillos,  victorian  friar,  was  in  love  with  the  woman, but 
she  could  not  endure  the  sight  of  him.  That  he  gained  the 
maid,  and  by  that  means  he  got  into  the  house  every  night, 
and  the  maid  putting  some  opium  into  her  mistress's  supper, 
she  fell  fast  asleep,  and  the  said  father  did  lie  with  her  six 
nights  together.  So  the  child  is  not  the  son  of  the  devil,  but 
of  father  Conchillos.  Afterwards  it  was  resolved  to  enter 
the  case  for  a  mcmorandiim,  in  the  academy's  book. 

The  friar  was  put  into  inquisition  for  having  persuaded  the 
maid  to  tell  her  mistress  that  it  was  the  devil;  for  she  had 
been  under  the  same  fear,  and  really  she  was  in  the  same 
condilion.  What  became  of  the  friar  I  do  not  know,  this  I  do 
aver  for  a  truth,  that  I  spoke  with  the  woman  myself,  and  with 
the  maid ;  and  that  the  children  used  to  go  to  her  door,  and 
call  for  the  son  of  the  devil.  And  being  so  mocked,  she  left 
the  city  in  a  fev  days  after,  and  we  were  told  tnatshe  lived 
after  a  retired  christian  life  in  the  country. 

The  private  confession  of  a  priest,  being  at  tlie  point  :i  vfeath,  in  1710.    I 
shall  call  him  Don  Paulo. 

Don  Paulo.  Since  God  Almighty  is  pleased  to  visit  me  with 
4iis  s.ckness,  I  ought  to  make  good  use  of  the  vme  I  have  to 


36  MASTER-KEY    TO   POrERY. 

live,  and  I  desire  of  you  to  help  me  with  your  prayers,  and  t? 
take  the  trouble  to  write  some  substantial  points  of  my  confes- 
sion, that  you  may  perform,  after  my  death,  whatever  I  thinic 
may  enable  me  in  some  measure,  to  discharge  my  duty  to- 
wards God  and  men.  When  I  was  ordained  priest,  I  made  a 
general  confession  of  all  my  sins  from  my  youth  to  that  time ; 
and  I  wish  I  could  now  be  as  true  a  penitent  as  I  was  at  that 
time ;  but  I  hope,  though  I  fear  too  late,  that  God  will  hear 
the  prayer  of  my  heart. 

I  have  served  my  parish  sixteen  years,  and  all  my  care  has 
been  to  discover  the  tempers  and  inclinations  of  my  parishion- 
ers, and  I  have  been  as  happy  in  this  world  as  unhappy  before 
my  Saviour.  I  have  in  ready  money  fifteen  thousand  pistoles, 
and  I  have  given  away  more  than  six  thousand.  I  had  no  pat- 
rimony, and  my  living  is  worth  but  four  hundred  pistoles  a 
year.  By  this  you  may  easily  know,  that  my  money  is  unlaw- 
fuMy  gotten,  as  I  shall  tell  you,  if  God  spare  my  life  till  I  make 
an  end  of  my  confession.  There  are  in  my  parish  sixteen 
hundred  families,  and  more  or  less,  I  have  defrauded  them  all 
some  way  or  other. 

My  thoughts  have  been  impure  ever  since  I  began  to  hear 
confessions;  my  words  grave  and  severe  with  them  all,  and  all 
my  parishioners  have  respected  and  feared  me.  I  have  had 
so  great  an  empire  over  them,  that  some  of  them  knowing  ot 
my  misdoings,  have  taken  my  defence  in  public.  They  have 
had  in  me  a  solicitor,  in  all  emergencies,  and  I  have  omitted 
nothing  to  please  them  in  outward  appearance ;  but  my  actions 
have  been  the  most  criminal  of  mankind;  for  as  to  my  ecclesi- 
astical duty,  what  I  have  done  has  been  for  custom's  sake. 
The  necessary  intention  of  a  priest,  in  the  administration  of 
baptism  and  consecration,  without  which  the  sacraments  are  of 
no  effect,  I  confess  I  had  it  not  several  times,  as  you  shall  see, 
in  the  parish  books ;  and  observe  there,  that  all  these  names 
marked  with  a  star,  the  baptism  was  not  valid,  for  I  had  no  in- 
tention :  And  for  this  I  can  give  no  other  reason  than  my  mal- 
ice and  wickedness.  Many  of  them  are  dead,  for  which  I  am 
heartily  sorry.  As  for  the  times  I  have  consecrated  without 
intention,  we  must  leave  it  to  God  Almighty's  mercy,  for  the 
wrong  done  by  it  to  the  souls  of  my  parishioners,  and  those  in 
purgatory  cannot  be  helped. 

As  to  the  confessions  and  wills  I  have  received  from  my  pa- 
rishioners at  the  point  of  their  death,  I  do  confess,  1  have  made 
myself  master  of  as  much  as  I  could,  and  by  .hat  means  I  have 
gathered  together  all  my  riches.    I  have  sent  this  morning  for 


IIASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY.  37 

fiAy  bulls,  and  I  have  given  one  hundred  pistoles  for  the  bene* 
fit  of  the  holy  crusade,  by  which  his  holiness  secures  my  soul 
from  eternal  aeath. 

As  to  my  duty  towards  God,  I  am  guilty  to  the  highest  de- 
gree, for  I  have  not  loved  him;  I  have  neglected  to  say  the 
private  divine  service  at  home  every  day;  1  have  polluted  his 
holy  days  by  my  grievous  sins ;  I  bave  not  minded  my  superi- 
ors in  the  respect  due  to  them;  and  I  have  been  the  cause  of 
many  innocent  deaths.  I  have  procured,  by  remedies,  sixty 
nbortions,  making  the  fathers  of  the  children  their  murderers 
besides  many  other  intended,  though  not  executed,  by  some 
unexpected  accident. 

As  to  the  sixth  commandment,  I  cannot  confess  by  particu- 
lars, but  by  general  heads,  my  sins.  I  confess,  in  the  first 
place,  that  I  have  frequented  the  parish  club  twelve  years. — 
We  were  only  six  parish  priests  in  it;  and  there  we  did  con- 
sult and  contrive  all  the  ways  to  satisfy  our  passions.  Ev- 
ery body  had  a  list  of  the  handsomest  women  in  the  parish ; 
and  when  one  had  a  fancy  to  see  any  woman,  remarkable  for 
her  beauty,  in  another's  j^arish,  the  priest  of  her  parish  sent  for 
her  to  his  own  house;  and  having  prepared  the  way  for  wick- 
edness, the  other  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  meet  her  there,  and 
fulfil  his  desires;  and  so  we  have  served  one  another  these 
twelve  years  past.  Our  method  has  been,  to  persuade  the 
husbands  and  fathers  no^  to  hinder  them  any  spiritual  com- 
fort; and  to  the  ladies  to  persuade  them  to  be  subject  to  our 
advice  and  will;  and  that  in  so  doing,  they  should  have  liberty 
at  any  time  to  go  out  on  pretence  of  communicating  some 
spiritual  business  to  the-  priest.  And  if  they  refused  to  do  it, 
then  we  should  speak  -o  their  husbands  and  fathers  not  to  let 
them  go  out  at  all ;  or,  which  would  be  worse  for  them,  -w  e 
should  inform  against  them  to  the  holy  tribunal  of  inquisition 
And  by  these  diabolical  peri-uasions  they  were  at  our  com 
mand,  without  fear  of  reveajing  the  secret. 

1  have  spared  no  woman  of  my  parish,  whom  I  had  a  fancy 
for,  and  many  other  of  my  brethren's  parishes ;  but  I  cannot 
tell  the  number.  I  have  sixty  nepotes  alive,  of  several  women : 
But  my  principal  care  ought  to  b6  of  those  that  I  huve  by 
the  two  young  women  I  keep  at  home  since  their  parents 
died.  Both  are  sisters,  and  I  had  by  the  eldest  two  boys,  and 
by  the  youngest,  one ;  and  one  which  I  had  by  my  own  sister 
is  dead.  Therefore  I  leave  to  my  sister  five  thousand  pistoles, 
upon  condition  that  she  would  enter  nun  in  St  Bernard's 
monastery,  and  upon  the  same  condition  Heave  wo  thousand 
D 


38  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

pistoles  a-piece  to  the  two  young  women;  and  the  remainder 
I  leave  to  my  thre'3  nepotes  under  the  care  of  Mossen  John 
Peralta,  and  ordering  that  they  should  be  heirs  to  one  another 
if  any  of  them  should  die  before  they  are  settled  in  the  world, 
and  if  all  should  die,  I  leave  the  money  to  the  treasury  of  the 
church,  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  in  purgatory.  Item:  I  or- 
der that  all  the  papers  of  such  a  little  trunk  be  burnt  after  my 
confession  is  over,  (which  was  done  accordingly,)  and  that  the 
holy  bull  of  the  dead  be  bought  before  I  die,  that  I  may  have 
the  comfort  of  having  at  home  the  Pope's  pass  for  the  next 
world.  Now  I  ask  your  penance  and  absolution  for  all  the 
sins  reserved  in  all  the  bulls,  from  the  first  Pope ,  for  which 
purpose  I  have  taken  the  bull  of  privileges  in  such  cases  as 
mine. 

So  I  did  absolve  him,  and  assist  him  afterwards,  and  he  died 
the  next  day.  What  to  do  in  such  a  case,  was  all  my  uneasi- 
ness after  his  death;  for  if  I  did  propose  the  case  before  the 
members  of  the  academy,  every  body  could  easily  know  the 
person,  which  was  against  one  of  the  articles  we  did  swear  at 
our  admittance  into  it:  And  if  I  did  .lot  propose  it,  I  should 
act  against  another  article.  All  my  difliculty  was  about  the 
baptisms  which  he  had  administered  without  intention :  For  it 
is  the  known  opinion  of  their  church,  that  the  intention  of  a' 
priest  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  validity  of  the  sacrament, 
and  that  without  it  there  is  no  sacrament  at  all.  I  had  exam- 
ined the  books  of  the  parish,  and  I  found  a  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  names  marked  v/ith  a  star,  and  examining  the  register  of 
the  dead,  I  found  eighty-six  of  them,  dead:  According  to  the 
principles  of  the  church,  all  those  that  were  alive  were  to  be 
baptized;  which  could  not  be  done  wii.'out  great  scandal,  and 
prejudice  to  the  clergy.  In  this  unea^mess  of  mind  I  con- 
tinued, till  I  went  to  visit  the  reverend  father  John  Garcia, 
who  had  been  my  master  in  d'  inity,  and  I  did  consult  him, 
on  the  case,  suh  secrcto  naturali.  He  did  advise  me  to  pro- 
pose the  case  to  the  assembly,  upon  supposition,  that  if  such 
a  case  should  happen,  what  should  be  done  in  it;  and  he  recom- 
mended to  me  to  talk  with  a  great  deal  of  caution,  and  to  in- 
sist that  it  ought  to  be  communicated  to  the  bishop;  and  if  the 
members  did  agree  with  me,  then  without  further  confession, 
I  was  to  go  to  the  bishop,  and  tell  his  lordship  the  case,  under 
secrecy  of  confession :  I  did  so,  and  the  bishop  said  he  would 
send  for  the  books,  and  take  the  list  of  all  those  nami^s;  and 
as  many  of  them  as  could  be  found  he  would  send  for,  one  by 
one  into  his  own  chamber,  and  baptize  them;  commanding 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POrERY.  39 

them,  under  the  pain  of  ecclesiastical  censure,  not  to  talk  of  it, 
neither  in  public  or  private.  But  as  f  )r  the  other  sins,  there 
was  no  necessity  for  revealing  them,  for  by  virtue  of  the  bull 
of  Crusade,  (of  which  I  shall  speak  in  the  second  chapter,)  we 
could  absolve  them  all. 

Hear,  O  heaven!  Give  ear,  O  earth!  And  be  horribly  aston- 
ished! T."  see  the  best  religion  in  the  world  turned  into  super- 
gtitit)n  and  folly;  to  see,  too,  that  those  who  are  to  guide  the 
people,  and  put  their  flock  in  the  way  of  salvation,  are  wolves 
in  sheep's  clothing,  that  devour  them,  and  put  them  into  the 
way  of  damnation.  O  God,  open  the  eyes  of  the  ignorant 
people,  that  they  may  see  the  injuries  done  to  their  souls  by 
their  own  guides! 

I  do  not  write  this  out  of  any  private  end,  to  blame  all 
sorts  of  confessors ;  for  there  are  some  who,  according  to  the 
principles  of  their  religion,  do  discharge  their  duty  with  exact- 
ness and  purity,  and  whose  lives,  in  their  own  way,  are  un- 
blamable, and  without  reproach  among  men.  Such  confes- 
sors as  these  I  am  speaking  of,  are  sober  in  their  actions: 
they  mortify  their  bodies  with  fasting  over  and  above  the  rules 
prescribed  by  the  church,  by  discipline,  by  kneeling  down 
in  their  closets  six  or  eight  hours  every  day,  to  meditate  on 
the  holy  mysteries,  the  goodness  of  God,  and  to  pray  to  him 
for  all  sorts  of  sinners,  that  they  may  be  brought  to  repent- 
ance and  salvation,  6lc.  They  sleep  but  few  hours.  They 
spen-1  most  of  their  spare  time  in  reading  the  ancient  fathers 
of  the  church,  and  other  books  of  devotion. 

They  live  poorly,  because  whatever  they  have,  the  poor  are 
enjoyers  of  it.  The  time  they  give  to  the  public  is  but  very 
little,  and  not  every  day ;  and  then  whatever  counsels  they 
give  are  right,  sincere,  without  flattery  or  interest.  All  pious, 
religious  persons  do  solicit  their  acquaintance  and  conversa- 
tion; but  they  avoid  all  pomp  and  vanity,  and  keep  them- 
selves, as  much  as  they  can,  within  the  limits  of  solitude;  and 
if  they  make  some  visits,  it  must  be  upon  urgent  necessity. 
Sometimes  you  may  find  them  in  the  hospitals  among  the 
poor,  sick,  helping  and  exhorting  them:  but  they  go  there 
most  commonly  in  the  night,  for  what  they  do,  they  do  it  not 
out  of  pride,  but  humility. 

I  knew  some  of  these  exemplary  men,  but  a  very  few;  and 
I  heard  some  of  them  preach  with  a  fervent  zeal  about  the 
promoting  of  Christ's  religion,  and  exhorting  the  people  to 
put  their  lives  voluntarily  in  the  defence  of  the  Roman-Catha- 
lie  fiiiih,  aid  extirpate  and  destroy  all  the  enemies  of  their 


40  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

communion.  I  do  not  pretend  to  judge  them,  for  judgmeni; 
belongeth  to  God:  This  I  say  with  St.  Paul,  that  if  those  re- 
lio-ious  men  have  a  zeal  of  God,  their  zeal  is  not  according  to 

knowledge. 

The  private  confession  of  a  Nun,  in  the  convent  of  S.  O. — Before  I  begin 
the  confession,  it  will  not  be  improper  to  give  an  account  of  the  cus- 
toms of  the  nuns,  and  places  of  their  confessions. 

By  the  constitutions  of  their  order,  so  many  days  are  ap 
pointed,  in  which  all  the  nuns  are  obliged  to  confess,  from  the 
Mother  Abbess  to  the  very  wheeler;  i.  e.  the  nun  that  turns 
the  wheel  near  the  door,  through  which  they  give  and  receive 
every  thing  they  want.  They  have  a  father  confessor  and  a 
father  companion,  who  live  next  to  the  convent,  and  have  a 
small  grate  in  the  wall  of  their  chamber,  which  answers  to 
the  upper  cloister  or  gallery  of  the  convent.  The  confessor 
hath  care  of  the  souls  of  the  convent,  and  he  is  obliged  to  say 
mass  every  day,  hear  confessions,  administer  the  sacraments, 
and  visit  the  sick  nuns.  There  are  several  narrow  closets  in 
the  church,  with  a  small  iron  grate:  One  side  answers  to  the 
cloister,  and  the  other  to  the  church.  So  the  nun  being  on  the 
inside  and  the  confessor  on  the  outside,  they  hear  one  an- 
other. There  is  a  large  grate  facing  the  great  altar,  and  the 
holes  of  it  are  a  quarter  of  a  yard  square ;  but  that  grate  is 
double,  that  is,  one  within  and  another  without,  and  the  distance 
between  both  is  more  than  half  a  yard.  And  besides  these, 
there  is  another  grate  for  relations,  and  benefactors  of  the 
community,  which  grate  is  single,  and  consists  of  very  thi_i 
iron  bars:  the  holes  of  such  a  grate  are  near  a  quarter  and  l 
half  square.  In  all  those  grates  the  nuns  confess  their  sins: 
for,  on  a  solemn  day,  they  send  for  ten  or  twelve  confessors; 
otherwise  they  could  not  confess  the  fourth  part  of  them,  for 
there  are  in  some  monasteries  110  nuns,  in  others  80,  in  oth- 
ers 40,  but  this  last  is  a  small  number. 

The  nuns*  father-confessor  hath  but  little  trouble  with  the 
young  nuns,  tor  they  generally  send  for  a  confessor  who  is  a 
stranger  to  them,  so  that  his  trouble  is  with  the  old  ones,  who 
have  no  business  at  the  grate.  These  trouble  their  confessor 
almost  every  day  with  many  ridiculous  trifles,  and  wiU  keep 
the  poor  man  two  hours  at  the  grate,  telling  him  how  ma'-.y 
times  they  have  spit  in  the  church,  how  many  flies  they  have 
killed,  how  many  times  they  have  flown  into  a  passion  with 
their  lap  dogs,  and  other  nonsensical,  ridiculous  things  like 
hese;  and  the  reason  is  because  they  have  nothing  to  do,  no- 


MASTER-KEY    TO    rOPERY.  41 

body  goes  to  visit  them  nor  cares  for  them ;  so  sometimes  they 
choose  to  be  spies  for  the  young  nuns,  when  they  are  at  the  grate 
with  their  gallants;  and  for  fear  of  their  Mother  Abbess,  they 
place  some  jftlie  old  nuns  before  the  door  of  the  parlor,  to  watch 
the  Mother  Abbess,  and  to  give  them  timely  notice  of  her  comin^ ; 
and  the  poor  old  nuns  perform  this  oflice  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  taithfulness,  and  some  profit  too.  But  1  shall  not  say 
any  more  of  them,  confining  myself  wholly  to  the  way  of 
living  among  the  young  nuns. 

Many  gentlemen  send  their  daughters  to  the  nunnery  m  hen 
they  are  some  five,  some  six,  some  eight  years  old,  under  the 
care  of  some  nun  of  their  relations,  or  else  some  old  nun  ot 
their  acquaintance;  and  there  they  get  education  till  they 
are  fifteen  years  old.  The  tutrcss  takes  a  great  deal  of  care 
not  to  let  them  go  to  the  grate,  nor  converse  with  men  all  the 
while,  to  prevent  in  them  the  knowledge  and  love  of  the 
world.  They  are  caressed  by  all  the  nuns,  and  thinking  it 
w^ill  be  always  so,  they  are  very  well  pleased  with  their  con- 
finement. They  have  only  liberty  to  go  to  the  grate  to  their 
parents  or  relations,  and  always  accompanied  M'ith  the  old 
mother  tutress.  And  when  they  are  fifteen  years  old,  which 
is  the  age  fixed  by  the  constitutions  of  all  the  orders,  they  re- 
ceive the  habit  of  a  nun,  and  begin  the  year  of  noviciate, 
which  is  the  year  of  trial  to  see  whether  they  can  go  through 
all  the  hardships,  fastings,  disciplines,  prayers,  hours  of  divine 
service,  obedience,  poverty,  chastity,  and  penances  practised 
in  the  monastery :  But  the  prioress  or  abbess,  and  the  rest  of 
the  professed  nuns,  do  dispense  with,  and  excuse  the  novices 
from  all  the  severities,  for  fear  that  the  novices  should  be 
dissatisfied  with, and  leave  the  convent:  And  in  this  they  are 
very  much  in  the  wrong;  for,  besides  that  they  do  not  observe 
the  precepts  of  their  monastical  rule,  they  deceive  the  poor, 
ignorant,  inexperienced  young  novices,  who,  after  their  pro- 
fession and  vows  of  perpetuity,  do  heartily  repent  they  had 
been  so  much  indulged.  Thus  the  novices,  flattered  in  the 
year  of  noviciate,  and  thinking  they  will  be  so  all  their  life 
lime,  when  the  year  is  expired,  make  profession,  and  swear  to 
observe  chastity,  obedience  and  poverty,  during  tneir  lives,  and 
clausura,  i.  e.  confinement;  obliging  themselves,  by  it,  never 
to  go  out  of  the  monastery. 

After  the  profession  is  made,  they  begin  to  feel  the  severity 
and  hardships  of  the  monastical  life ;  for  one  is  made  a  door- 
keeper; another  turner  of  the  wheel,  to  receive  and  deliver  by 
it  all  the  nuns'  messages;  another  bell  nun,  that  is  to  call  the 


42  BLVSTER-KEY   TO   POPERY 

nuns,  when  any  one  comes  to  visit  them;  another  bake  r;  anoth- 
er book-keeper  of  all  the  rents  and  expenses,  and  the  Uke ;  and 
n  the  performance  of  all  these  employments,  they  must  ex- 
pend a  great  deal  of  their  own  money.  Afrer  this  they  have 
liberty  to  go  to  the  grate,  and  talk  with  gentlemen,  priests  and 
friars,  who  only  go  there  as  a  gallant  goes  to  see  his  mistress. 
So  when  the  young  nuns  begin  to  have  a  notion  of  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  world,  and  how  they  have  been  deceivedj  they 
are  heartily  sorry,  but  too  late,  for  there  is  no  remedy.  And 
minding  nothing  but  to  satisfy  their  passions  as  well  as  they 
can,  they  abandon  themselves  to  all  sorts  of  wickedness  and 
amorous  intrigues. 

There  is  another  sort  of  nuns,  whom  the  people  call  lasfor- 
cadas,  the  forced  nuns;  i.e.  those  who  have  made  a  false  step 
in  the  world,  and  cannot  find  husbands,  on  account  of  their 
crimes  being  public.  Those  are  des{^sed  and  ill  used  by 
their  parents  and  relations,  till  they  choose  to  go  to  the  nun- 
n.ery :  So  by  this  it  is  easily  known  what  sort  of  nuns  they 
will  make. 

Now  as  to  the  spending  of  their  time.  They  get  up  at  six 
in  the  morning  and  go  to  prayers,  and  to  hear  mass  till  seven. 
From  seven  till  ten,  they  work  or  go  to  breakfast,  either  in 
their  chambers,  or  in  the  common  hall.  At  ten  they  go  to  the 
great  mass  till  eleven:  After  it,  they  go  to  dinner.  After 
dinner,  they  may  divert  themselves  till  two.  At  two  they  go 
to  prayers,  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  or  (if  they  sing  vespers) 
for  half  an  hour;  and  afterwards  they  are  free  till  the  next 
morning:  So  every  one  is  waiting  for  her  devoto,  that  is,  a  gal- 
lant, or  spiritual  husband,  as  they  call  him.  When  it  is  dark 
evening,  they  send  away  the  devotes,  and  the  doors  are  locked 
up ;  so  they  go  to  their  own  chamber  to  write  a  billet,  or  letter 
to  the  spiritual  husband,  which  they  send  in  the  morning  to 
them,  and  get  an  answer;  and  though  they  see  one  another 
almost  every  day,  for  all  that,  they  must  w  rite  to  one  another 
every  morning:  And  these  letters  of  love,  they  call  the  recrea* 
lion  of  the  spirit  for  the  time  the  devotes  are  absent  from 
them.  Every  day  they  must  give  one  another  an  account  of 
whatever  thing  they  have  done  since  the  last  visit;  and  in- 
deed there  are  warmer  expressions  of  love  and  jealousy  be- 
tween the  nun  and  the  devoto,  than  between  real  wife  ap<- 
nusband. 


BL\STER-KEY   TO   POPEEY.  43 


Now  I  come  to  the  private  confession ;  and  I  wish  T  could  have  the  style 
of  an  angel,  to  express  myself  with  purity  and  modesty  in  this  confer 
sion. 

Nun.  Reverend  Fnther,  as  the  number  of  my  sins  arc  so 
great,  and  so  great  the  variety  of  circumstances  attending 
tiiem;  mistrusting  my  memory,  I  have  set  down  in  writing 
this  confession,  that  you  may  entirely  be  acquainted  with  ev- 
ery thing  that  troubles  my  conscience;  and  so  I  humbly  beg 
of  you  to  read  it. 

Conf.  I  did  approve  the  method  of  writing,  but  you  ought 
to  read  it  yourself,  or  else  it  cannot  be  oris  confessio,  or  con- 
fession by  mouth. 

Nun.  If  it  is  so,  I  begin.  I  thought  fit  to  acquaint  you 
with  the  circumstances  of  my  past  lite,  that  you  may  form  a 
right  judgment  of  my  monastical  life  and  conversation,  which 
in  some  measure,  will  excuse  me  before  the  world,  though  not 
before  God,  our  righteous  judge. 

I  am  the  only  daughter  of  counsellor  N.  E.  who  brought  mo 
up  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  gave  me  a  w^riting  master,  which  is 
a  rare  thing.  I  was  not  quite  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  a 
gentleman  of  quality,  though  not  very  rich,  began  his  love  to 
me  by  letters  which  he  (gaining  my  writing  master)  sent  to  me 
by  him.  There  was  nothing  in  the  world  so  obliging,  civil, 
modest  and  endearing,  as  his  expressions  seemed  to  me,  and  at 
last  having  the  opportimity  of  meeting  him  at  the  house  of  one 
of  my  aunts,  his  person  and  conversation  did  so  charm  my 
heart,  that  a  few  days  after  we  gave  one  another  reciprocal 
promises  of  an  eternal  union:  But  by  a  letter  which  was  un- 
fortunately miscarried,  and  fell  into  my  father's  hands,  our 
honest  designs  were  discovered ;  and  without  telling  me  any 
thing,  he  went  to  see  the  gentleman,  and  spoke  to  him  in  this 
manner :  Sir,  my  daughter,  in  discharging  of  her  duty  to  so  good 
a  father,  has  communicated  to  me  your  honorable  designs,  and 
I  come  to  thank  j^ou  for  the  honor  3'ou  are  pleased  to  do  my 
family :  But,  being  so  young,  we  think  proper  to  put  off  the 
performance  of  it,  till  she  comes  to  be  fifteen  years  of  age 
Now  she,  and  I  also,  as  a  father  to  yo  i  both,  (for  I  look  upon  you 
as  upon  my  own  son)  do  desire  of  you  the  favor  not  to  give 
any  public  occasion  of  censure  to  the  watchful  neighbors,  and 
if  you  have  any  regard  for  her,  I  hope  you  will  do  this  and 
more  for  her  and  for  me :  And  to  shew  you  my  great  affection,  I 
offer  you  a  captain's  commission  in  the  regiment  that  the  city 
raiseth  for  the  king,  and  advise  you  to  serve  two  years,  and 


44  MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

afterwards,  you  may  accomplish  your  desire.  The  gentlemac 
accepted  it,  and  the  next  day  the  commission  was  signed  anc 
deUvered  to  him,  with  an  order  to  go  to  Catalonia.  At  the 
same  time  the  writing  master  was  sent  out  of  the  town  under 
pretence  of  receiving  some  money  from  my  father;  and  1 
was  kept  close  at  home,  so  he  could  not  get  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  or  writing  to  mej  for  my  father  told  him  I  was 
sick  in  bed.  As  soon  as  he  left  the  town,  my  father  told  me 
that  he  was  dead,  and  that  I  must  retire  myself  into  the  nun- 
nery, for  that  was  his  Mill :  So  immediately  he  brought  me 
here,  and  gave  severe  directions  to  the  mother  abbess,  not  to 
let  me  see  any  body  but  himself.  Indeed,  he  did  spare  noth- 
ing to  please  me,  until  I  received  the  habit,  and  made  the 
profession  and  vows  of  a  monastical  life:  After  which  he 
told  me  the  whole  story  himself;  and  the  gentleman  was  kill- 
ed in  Catalonia  the  first  campaign. 

I  do  confess,  that  ever  since,  1  did  not  care  what  should  be- 
come of  me,  and  I  have  abandoned  myself  to  all  the  sins  I 
have  been  capable  to  commit.  It  is  but  ten  months  since  I 
made  my  profession,  and  bound  myself  to  perpetuity;  though 
as  I  did  it  without  intention,  I  am  not  a  nun  before  God,  nor 
obliged  to  keep  the  vow  of  religion ;  and  of  this  opinion  are 
many  other  nuns,  especially  ten  young  nuns,  my  intimate 
friends,  who,  as  well  as  I,  do  communicate  to  one  another  the 
most  secret  things  of  our  hearts. 

Each  of  this  assembly  has  her  devoto,  and  we  are  every  day 
in  the  afternoon  at  the  grate :  We  shew  one  another  the  letters 
we  receive  from  them,  and  there  is  nothing  that  we  do  not  in- 
vent for  the  accomplishment  of  our  pleasures. 

Conf.  Pray,  confess  your  own  sins,  and  omit  the  sins  of 
your  friends. 

Nun.  I  cannot,  for  my  sins  are  so  confounded  with  the  sins 
of  my  friends,  that  I  cannot  mention  the  one  without  the 
other. 

But  coming  now  to  my  greatest  sin,  I  must  tell  you,  that  a 
nun  of  our  assembly  has  a  friar  her  devoto,  the  most  beautiful 
voung  man,  and  we  contrived  and  agreed  together  to  bring 
iiim  into  the  convent,  as  we  did,  and  have  kept  him  two  and 
twenty  days  in  our  chamber:  During  which  time  we  went  to 
the  grate  very  seldom,  on  pretence  of  being  not  well.  We 
have  given  no  scandal,  for  nobody  has  suspected  the  least 
tiling  in  the  case.  And  this  is  the  greatest  sin  I  have  commit- 
lt;d  with  man. 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY,  45 

Conf.  Pray,  tell  me,  how  could  you  let  him  in  without 
scandal  ? 

Nun.  One  of  the  assembly  contrived  to  mat  all  the  flo^:  of 
her  chamber,  and  sent  for  the  mat-maker  to  take  the  measure 
of  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  room,  and  to  make  it  in  one 
piece,  and  send  it  to  the  Sexton's  chamber,  who  is  a  poor  ig- 
norant fellow.  When  the  mat  was  there,  and  the  man  paid  for 
It,  one  day  in  the  evening  we  sent  the  sexton  on  several  mes- 
sages, and  kept  the  key  of  his  room.  The  friar  had  asked 
leave  of  his  prior  to  go  into  the  country  for  a  month's  time, 
and  disguising  himself  in  a  layman's  habit,  feeing  well  two 
porters,  came  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  into  the  sexton's  room, 
and  rolling  up  himself  in  the  mat,  the  porters  brought  the  mat 
to  the  door,  where  we  were  waiting  for  it;  and,  taking  it,  we 
carried  it  up  to  one  of  our  chambers.  We  were  afraid  that 
the  porters  would  discover  the  thing,  but  by  money  we  have 
secured  ourselves  from  them;  for  we  hired  ruffians  to  make 
away  with  them.  We  put  him  out  of  the  convent  in  a  great 
chest  which  could  be  opened  on  the  inside,  and  of  which  he  had 
the  key,  and  giving  the  chest  to  the  sexton,  he  and  the  ser- 
vant of  the  convent  carried  it  into  the  sexton's  room.  We  or- 
dered him  to  leave  the  key  at  the  door,  for  we  expected  some 
relations  which  were  to  take  a  collation  there;  and  we  sent 
him  on  some  errand  till  the  friar  had  got  out  of  the  chest  and 
of  danger. 

A  month  after,  three  of  our  friends  began  to  perceive  the 
condition  they  were  in,  and  left  the  convent  in  one  night,  by 
which  they  have  given  great  scandal  to  the  city,  and  we  dc 
not  know  what  has  become  of  them;  as  for  me,  I  design  to  do 
the  same,  for  I  am  under  the  same  apprehensions  and  fear; 
for  I  consider  that  if  I  do  continue  in  the  convent,  my  unusual 
size  will  discover  me,  and  though  one  life  shall  be  saved,  I 
shall  lose  mine  by  the  rulers  of  our  order  in  a  miserable  man- 
ner, and  not  only  so,  but  a  heavy  reflection  will  fall  upon  the 
whole  order,  and  the  dishonor  of  my  family  shall  be  the  more 
public :  Whereas,  if  I  quit  the  convent  by  night,  I  save  two  lives, 
and  the  world  will  reflect  only  uf-on  me,  and  then  I  shall  take 
care  to  go  so  far  off  that  nobody  shall  hear  of  me ;  and  as  I  am 
sure,  in  my  conscience,  that  I  am  not  a  nun  for  want  of  inten- 
tion, when  I  did  promise  to  keep  obedience,  chastity,  povert^^ 
and  perpetuity,  I  shall  not  incur  the  crime  of  apostacy  in  leav- 
ing the  convent;  and  if  I  continue  in  it,  I  am  fu  ly  resolved  to 
prevent  my  ruin  and  death  by  a  strong  operating  remedy 


46  MASTER-KEY    TO   TOPER Y. 

TLis  is  all  I  have  to  say,  and  I  do  expect  from  you  not  only 
your  advice,  but  \^our  assistance  too. 

V? '>/?/*.  I  do  find  the  case  so  intricate,  that  1  want  experi- 
ence and  learning  to  resolve  what  to  do  in  it;  and  I  do  think 
it  proper  for  you  to  send  for  another  confessor  of  years  and 
learning,  and  then  you  shall  have  the  satisfaction  of  being  well 
directed  and  advised. 

Nun.     Now,  reverend  father,  I  do  tell  you  positively,  that 
I  shall  never  open  my  heart  to  another  confessor,  while  I  live, 
and  if  you  do  not  advise  me  what  to  do,  I  shall  call  you  before 
God  for  it;  and  now  I  lay  upon  you  whatever  thing  may  hap 
pen  in  my  case. 

Conf.  Ignorance  will  excuse  me  from  sin,  and  I  tell  you  J 
am  ignorant  how  to  resolve  the  case. 

Nun.  I  am  resolved  for  all  events,  and  if  you  refuse  me 
this  comfort,  I  shall  cry  out,  and  say,  that  you  have  been  soli- 
citing and  corrupting  me  in  the  very  act  of  confession,  and  you 
shall  suffer  for  it  in  the  inquisition. 

Conf.  Well,  have  patience,  means  may  be  found  out;  and 
if  you  give  me  leave  to  consult  the  case,  I  shall  resolve  you 
about  it  in  three  days  time. 

Nun.  How  can  you  consult  my  case,  without  exposing  the 
order,  and  my  reputation  too,  perhaps,  by  some  circumstance? 

Conf.  Leave  it  to  me,  and  he  not  uneasy  about  it,  and  I  do 
promise  to  come  with  the  resolution  on  Sunday  next. 

Nun.  Pray,  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  come  next  Monday 
morning,  and  I  shall  be  free  from  company. 

Conf.  It  is  very  well :  but  in  the  mean  time,  have  before 
your  eyes  the  wrath  of  God  against  those  that  abandon  them- 
selves and  forget  that  he  is  a  living  God,  to  punish  suddenly 
great  sinners ;  and  with  this,  farewell. 

My  mind  never  before  was  so  much  troubled  as  it  was  after 
this  case.  I  was,  more  by  the  interests  of  others,  than  by  my 
learning,  appointed  penitentiary  confessor  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Sahator;  and  as  the  duty  of  such  a  confessor  is 
to  be  every  day,  in  the  morning,  four  hours  in  the  confessiona 
ry,  from  eight  to  twelve,  except  he  be  called  abroad — ever} 
body  thinks  that  such  a  confessor  must  be  able  to  resolve  all 
cases  and  difficulties :  But  it  was  not  so  with  me ;  for  I  was 
young  and  without  experience.  And  as  to  this  case,  the  next 
academical  day  I  proposed  it  in  the  following  manner: 

There  is  a  person  bound  by  word  of  mouth,  but  at  tlie  same 
tine  without  intention,  nay,  with  a  mind  and  heart  averse  to  it, 
bound,  I  say,  to  obedience,  chastity,  and  poverty     If  the  person 


MASTER-KEY  TO  TOPERY.  47 

leave,?  the  convent,  the  crime  of  apostacy  is  not  commitled  in 
foro  interno;  and  if  the  person  continues  in  the  convent,  the 
consequence  is  to  be  a  great  sin  in  foro  cxterno  and  interno. 
The  person  expects  the  resolution,  or  else  is  fully  resolved  tc 
expose  the  confessor  to  scandal  and  personal  sufferings.  This 
is  the  case  which  I  humbly  lay  down  before  your  learned  re- 
verences. 

The  president's  opinion  was,  that  in  such  a  case,  the  con- 
fessor was  obliged,  in  the  first  place,  to  reveal  it  in  general 
terms  to  the  holy  inquisitors ;  for  (said  he)  though  this  case  is 
not  mentioned  in  our  authors,  there  are  others  very  like  this, 
which  ought  to  be  revealed,  viz :  all  those  that  are  against  ei- 
ther the  temporal  or  spiritual  good  of  our  neighbor,  which  cases 
are  reserved  to  the  bishop  or  to  his  deputy ;  and  this  case,  by 
the  last  circumstance,  being  injurious  to  the  holy  tribunal,  ihe 
confessor  ought  to  prevent  the  scandal  which  might  otherwise 
fall  upon  him,  to  reveal  the  last  circumstance.  As  for  the  first 
circumstance  of  the  case,  in  this  and  others,  we  must  judge  se- 
cundum allegata  and  probata;  and  we  must  suppose,  that  no 
penitent  comes  to  confess  with  a  lie  in  his  mouth;  therefore, if 
the  person  afhrms  that  he  was  bound  without  intention,  he  is 
free  before  God :  Besides,  in  rehus  duhiis  minimum  est  scqnen- 
dum;  so  to  prevent  greater  evil,  I  think  the  person  maybe  ad- 
vised to  quit  the  convent;  and  this  is  agreeable  to  the  Pope's 
dispensations  to  such  persons,  when  they  swear  and  produce 
witness,  that  (before  they  were  bound  to  the  vow)  heard  the 
person  say  they  had  no  intention  to  it. 

The  reverend  Mr.  Palomo's  opinion  was,  that  the  confessor 
was  to  take  the  safest  part,  which  was  to  advise  the  penitent 
to  send  to  Rome  for  a  dispensation,  which  could  be  obtained  by 
money,  or  to  the  Pope's  Nuncio,  who  would  give  leave  to  quit 
the  convent  for  six  months,  upon  necessity  of  preserving  or  re- 
covering bodily  health ;  and  in  that  time,  may  be  the  person 
would  dissipate  some  fumes  of  grief  or  melancholy  fancies,  &c. 

But  I  rej>lied  to  this,  mat  the  person  could  not  do  the  first, 
for  want  of  witness,  nor  the  second,  for  being  in  perfect  health, 
the  physician  never  would  grant  his  certificate  to  be  produced 
before  the  Pope''s  Nuncio,  which  is  absolutely  necessary  in 
such  cases;  and  as  to  reveahng  the  case  to  the  holy  inquisi- 
tors, it  is  very  dangerous,  both  to  the  person  and  the  confessor, 
as  we  could  prove  by  several  instances.  ^ 

Tc  this,  several  members  being  of  my  opinion,  it  was  re- 
solved, that  the  confessor,  first  of  all,  was  to  absolve  t?ie  peni- 
tent, having  a  bull  of  cruzade  and  extra  confessionem,  >r  out  of 


48  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

confession  give,  as  a  private  person,  advice  to  the  penitent  to 
quit  the  convent  and  take  a  certificate:  Wherein  the  penitent 
was  to  specify,  that  the  confessor  had  given  such  advice  extra 
actum  confessionis.  The  case  and  resolution  was  entered  in 
the  academy's  book.  And  accordingly  Monday  following,  T 
went  to  the  nun  and  performed  what  was  resolved;  and  the 
very  same  week,  we  heard  in  the  city,  that  such  a  nun  had 
made  her  escape  out  of  the  convent. 

Two  years  and  a  half  after  this,  I  saw  this  very  nun  one 
day  at  the  court  of  Lisbon,  but  I  did  not  speak  with  her,  for  as 
I  was  dressed  like  an  officer  of  the  army,  I  thought  she  would 
not  kn,ow  me ;  but  I  was  mistaken,  for  she  knew  me  in  my  dis- 
guise as  well  as  I  did  her.  The  next  day  she  came  to  my 
lodgings  followed  by  a  lacquey,  who,  by  her  orders,  had  dogged 
me  the  night  before.  I  was  so  troubled  for  fear  to  be  discover- 
ed, that  I  thought  the  best  way  I  could  take  was  to  run  away 
and  secure  myself  in  an  English  ship :  But  by  her  first  words, 
1  discovered  that  her  fear  was  greater  than  mine :  for  after 
giving  me  an  account  of  her  escape  out  of  the  convent,  and  safe 
delivery,  she  told  me  that  a  Portuguese  captain  happening  to 
quarter  in  the  same  town  where  she  was,  took  her  away  one 
night,  and  carried  her  to  Barcelona,  but  that  she  refusing  to 
comply  with  his  desires,  on  any  but  honorable  terms,  he  had 
married  her  and  brought  her  to  Lisbon :  That  her  husband 
knew  nothing  of  her  having  been  a  nun ;  that  she  took  another 
name,  and  that  she  was  very  happy  with  her  husband,  who  was 
very  rich,  and  a  man  of  good  sense.  She  begged  me  with 
tears  in  her  eyes  not  to  ruin  her  by  discovering  any  thing  of 
her  life  past.  I  assured  her,  that  nothing  should  happen  on  my 
account,  that  should  disoblige  her;  and  afterwards  she  asked 
me  why  I  was  not  dressed  in  a  clerical  habit?  To  which  I  de- 
sired her  to  take  no  notice  of  it,  for  I  was  there  upon  secret 
business  and  of  great  consequence,  and  that  as  there  was  no- 
body there  who  knew  me  in  Saragossa,  it  was  proper  to  be  dis- 
guised. She  desired  my  leave  to  introduce  me  to  her  husband, 
under  the  title  of  a  country  gentleman,  who  was  come  thither 
for  Charles  the  3d's  sake.  I  thanked  her,  and  she  went  home 
overjoyed  with  my  promise,  and  I  was  no  less  with  hers.  The 
next  day  her  husband  came  to  visit  me,  and  ever  after,  we  vis- 
ited almost  every  day  one  another,  till  I  left  that  city.  This  1 
Bay,  she  was  a  better  wife  than  she  had  been  a  nun,  and  lived 
more  religiously  in  the  world,  than  she  had  done  in  the  clois- 
ier  of  the  convent. 

Now  I  must  leave  off  the  account  of  private  cases  and  con- 


MASTER-KEY  TO  rOPEKY.  49 

fcflsions^  not  to  be  tedious  to  the  readers  by  insisting  too  long 
a  time  upon  one  subject.  But,  as  I  promised  to  the  public  to 
discover  the  most  secret  practices  of  the  Romisli  priesls,  in  this 
point  t)f  auricular  confession,  I  cannot  dismiss  nor  put  an  end 
to  this  first  chapter,  without  pexforming  my  promise. 

By  the  account  I  have  already  given  of  a  few  private  con- 
fessions, every  body  may  easily  know  the  wickedness  of  the 
Romish  priests,  but  more  particularly  their  covetousness  and 
thirst  of  money  will  be  detected  by  my  following  ol  scrvations. 

First  of  all,  if  a  poor  countryman  goes  to  confess,  the  father- 
confessor  takes  little  pains  with  him,  for,  as  he  expects  little  or 
nothing  from  him,  he  heareth  him,  and  with  bitter  words  cor- 
rects the  poor  man,  and,  most  common!}-,  without  any  correc- 
tion, imposing  upon  him  a  hard  penance,  sends  him  away  with 
the  same  ignorance  he  went  to  confess. 

2.  If  a  soldier  happens  to  go  to  make  his  peace  with  God, 
(so  they  express  themselves  when  they  go  to  confess)  then  the 
confessor  sheweth  the  power  of  a  spiritual  guide.  He  ques- 
tions him  about  three  sins  only,  viz.  thefts,  drunkenness  and 
vncleanness.  Perhaps  the  poor  soldier  is  free  from  the  two 
first,  but  if  he  is  guilty  of  the  last,  the  confessor  draws  the  con- 
Bequence  that  he  is  guilty  of  all  the  three,  and  terrifying  him 
with  hell,  and  all  the  devils,  and  the  fire  of  it,  he  chargeth  him 
with  restitution,  and  that  he  is  obliged  to  give  so  much  money 
for  the  relief  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  or  else  he  cannot  get 
nl)Solution.  So  the  poor  man,  out  of  better  conscience  than 
his  contessor,  offers  a  month's  pay,  which  must  be  given  up- 
on the  spot  (f(»r  in  the  shop  of  confessors  there  is  neither 
trust  nor  credit)  to  appease  the  rough,  bitter  confessor,  and 
to  get  absolution  ;  and  I  believe  tliis  hard  way  of  using  the 
poor  soldiers  is  the  reason  that  they  do  not  care  at  all  for  that 
act  of  devotion,-  and  as  they  are  so  bad  customers  to  the  con- 
fessor's shop,  the  confessors  use  their  endeavors,  when  they  go 
to  buy  absolution,  to  sell  it  as  dear  as  they^  can ;  so  they  pay  at 
one  time  for  two,  three,  or  more  years. 

I  heard  a  soldier,  damning  the  confessors,  say*,  "  if  I  con- 
tinue in  the  king's  service- 20  y^ears,  I  will  not  go  to  confess, 
for  it  is  easier  and  cheaper  to  lift  up  my  finger*  and  be  absolved 

*The  custom  of  the  Spanish  araiy  in  the  field,  and  tiie  day  before  the  battle, 
or  before  ♦he  engagement,  the  chaplain  goes  thi-ough  all  the  companies,  to  ask 
die  officers  whether  they  have  a  mind  to  confess,  and  if  any  one  has  any  thing 
to  say,  he  whispers  in  the  chaplain's  ear,  and  so  through  all  the  officers.  A3 
for  the  private  men :  Crymg  out,  says,  he  that  has  a  shi,  let  him  lift  up  one 
finger,  and  gives  a  general  absolution  to  all  at  once. 

-      E 


50  flASTEJl-KBr  TO  POrERY. 

by  our  ch.vp]  lin,  than  to  go  to  a  devilish  friar,  who  noth  noth- 
ing  but  rail  and  grumble  at  me,  and  yet  I  must  give  him  money 
'^'^r  masses,  or  else  he  will  not  absolve  me :  1  will  give  him 
leave  to  bury  me  alive,  if  ever  he  gets  me  near  him  ajrain." 

If  a  collegian  goes  to  confess,  he  finds  a  mild  and  sweet  con- 
fessor, and  without  being  questioned,  and  with  a  small  penance, 
he  generally  g^ts  absolution.  The  reason  the  confessors  have  to 
use  the  coUegijins  with  so  great  civility  and  mildness  is,  first, 
because  if  a  collegian  is  ill-used  by  his  confessor,  he  goes  to  a 
deaf  friar,  who  absolves  ad  dexteram  and  ad  si.iistram,  all 
sort*-  of  penitents  for  a  real  of  plate ;  and  after,  he  inquireth 
and  examineth  into  all  the  other  confessor's  actions,  visits  and 
intrio-ues;  and  when  he  has  got  matter  enough,  he  will  write  a 
lampoon  on  him,  which  has  happened  very  often  in  my  time. 
Bo  the  confessor  dares  not  meddle  with  the  collegians,  for  fear 
that  his  tricks  should  be  brought  to  light;  and  another  reason 
is,  because  the  collegians,  for  the  generality  are  like  ihe  files 
de  joye  in  Lent,  i.  e.  without  money,  and  so  the  confessor  can- 
not expect  any  profit  by  them. 

I  say,  it  absolution  is  denied  to  a  collegian,  he  goes  to  a 
deaf  confessor ;  for  some  confessors  are  called  deaf  not  be- 
cause they  are  really,  but  because  they  give  small  penance 
without  correction;  and  never  deny  absolution,  though  the  sins 
be  reserved  to  the  Pope.  I  knew  two  Dominican  friars,  who 
were  known  by  the  name  of  deaf  cot fessors-,  because  they 
never  used  to  question  the  penitent. 

Only  one  of  such  confessors  has  more  business  in  Lent,  than 
twenty  of  the  others,  for  he  (like  our  couple-beggars,  who  for 
six  pence  do  marry  the  people)  for  the  same  sum  gives  abso- 
lution. And  for  this  reason  all  the  great  and  habitual  sinners 
go  to  the  deaf  confessor,  who  gives,  upon  a  bargain,  a  cer- 
tificate, in  which  he  says  that  such  a  one  has  fulfilled  the  com- 
mandment of  the  church,  for  every  body  is  obliged  to  pro- 
duce a  certificate  of  confession  to  the  minister  of  the  parish 
before  Easter,  or  ehe  he  must  be  exposed  in  the  church :  So 
as  it  is  a  hard  thing  for  any  old  sinner  to  get  absolution,  and  a 
certificate  from  other  covetous  confessors,  without  a  great  deal 
of  money,  they  generally  go  to  the  deaf  confessors.  I  had 
a  friend  in  the  same  convent,  who  told  me,  that  such  confes- 
sors were  obliged  to  give  two-thirds  of  their  profit  to  (he 
community,  and  being  only  two  deaf  confessors  in  that  con- 
vent, he  assured  me,  that  in  one  lent,  they  gave  to  the  father 
prior  GOO  pistoles  a  piece.  I  found  the  thing  incredible, 
tliinking  that  only  poor  and  debauched  people  used  to  go  to 


MA5TETl-nEY    TO    TOPER Y.  51 

them;  but  he  Fatisficd  me,  saying,  that  rich  and  poor,  men 
and  women,  priests  and  nuns,  were  customers  to  tliem,  and 
that  only  the  poor  and  loose  j)eople  used  to  go  to  confess  in 
the  church;  but  as  for  the  rich,  priests  and  nuns,  they  were 
sent  for  by  them,  in  tiie  afternoon,  and  at  night;  and  tliat  the 
poor  Deafs  had  scarcely  time  to  get  their  rest;  and  that  when 
they  were  sent  for,  the  common  j)rice  was  a  pistole,  and  some- 
times ten  pistoles,  according  to  the  quality  and  circumstances 
of  the  person.     And  thus  much  of  deaf  confessors. 

4.  If  a  friar  or  a  priest  comes  to  confess,  every  body  ought 
to  suppose,  that  the  fallier-confessor  has  nothing  to  do,  but  lo 
give  the  penance,  and  pronounce  the  words  of  absolution;  for 
both  penitent  and  confessor  being  of  the  same  trade,  and  of 
the  same  corporation,  or  brotherhood;  the  fashion  of  ihis 
cloak  of  absolution  is  not  paid  among  tliem,  and  they  work 
one  for  another,  without  any  interest,  in  expectation  of  the 
Same  return. 

This  must  be  understood  between  the  friars  only,  not  be- 
tv/een  a  friar  and  a  secular  priest;  for  these  do  not  like  one 
another,  and  the  reason  is,  because  the  friars,  for  the  general- 
ity, are  such  officious  and  insinuating  persons  in  families,  that 
by  their  importunities  and  assiduity  of  visits,  they  become  at 
last  the  masters  of  families,  and  goods;  so  the  secular  priest 
hath  nothhig  to  busy  himself  with;  and  observe,  that  there 
are  twenty  friars  to  one  secular  priest,  so  the  small  fish  is 
eaten  by  the  greater;  therefore,  if  it  happens  sometimes  upon 
necessity,  that  a  priest  goes  to  confess  to  a  friar,  or  a  friar  lo 
a  priest,  they  make  use  of  such  an  opportunity,  to  exact  as 
much  as  they  can  from  one  another. 

I  know  a  good  merry  priest,  who  had  been  in  company  with 
a  friar's  devota,  i.  e.  in  proper  terms,  mistress;  and  jested  a 
little  with  her :  Afterwards,  the  poor  priest  having  something 
10  confess,  and  no  other  confessor  in  his  way,  but  the  dcvoto 
of  that  devota,  he  was  forced  to  open  his  heart  to  him;  but  the 
confessor  was  so  hard  upon  him,  that  he  made  him  pay  on  the 
nail  two  pieces  of  eight,  to  get  absolution.  So  he  payed  dear 
for  jesting  with  the  mistress  of  a  friar;  and  'le  protested  to  me, 
that  if  it  ever  happened,  that  that  friar  should  come  to  confess 
to  him,  he  should  not  go  away  at  so  cheap  a  rate. 

This  I  can  aver,  that  I  went  to  a  Franciscan  convent  the 
second  day  of  August,  to  get  the  indulgences  of  the  Jubilee  of 
Porciunculse,  and  my  confessor  was  so  hard,  that  he  began  to 
persuade  me,  he  could  not  absolve  me  without  a  pistole  in 
hand :    I  told  him,  that  1  had  not  confessed  any  reserved  sin. 


52  MASTER-KEY    TO    POrERY. 

and  Ihat  he  did  not  know  I  could  ruin  him:  But  the  friar, 
knowing  that  it  was  a  great  scandal  to  get  up  from  his  feet 
without  absokition,  he  insisted  on  it;  and  I  was  obliged  to 
avoid  scandal,  to  give  him  his  demand.  After  the  confession 
was  over,  as  I  had  been  in  a  great  passion  at  the  unreasonable 
usage  of  the  friar;  I  thought  it  was  not  fit  for  me  to  celebrate 
the  Mass  without  a  new  reconciliation  (as  we  call  the  short 
confession,)  so  I  went  to  the  father-guardian  or  superior  of  the 
convent,  and  confessing  that  sin  of  passion,  occasioned  by  the 
covetous  usage  of  such  a  confessor,  his  correction  to  me  was, 
to  pay  down  another  pistole  for  scandalizing  both  the  friar  and 
the  Franciscan  habit;  I  refused  the  correction,  and  went  home 
without  the  second  absolution.  I  had  a  mind  to  expose  both 
of  them ;  but  upon  second  thoughts,  I  did  nothing  at  all,  for 
fear  that  the  whole  order  should  be  against  me. 

5.  If  a  modes*^,  serious,  religious  lady  c©mes  to  confess,  he 
usethher  in  another  way;  for  he  knows  that  such  ladies  never 
come  to  confess,  without  giving  a  good  charity  for  Masses;  so 
all  the  confessor's  care  is,  to  get  himself  into  the  lady's  favor, 
which  he  doth  by  hypocritical  expressions  of  godliness  and  de- 
votion, of  humility  and  strictness  of  life.  He  speaks  gravely 
and  conscientiously,  and  if  the  lady  has  a  family,  he  gives 
her  excellent  advices,  as,  to  keep  her  children  within  the 
limits  of  sobriety  and  virtue,  for  the  world  is  so  deceitful,  that 
we  ought  always  to  be  upon  our  guard ;  and  to  watch  continu- 
ally over  our  souls,  &c.  And  by  that  means  and  the  like, 
(the  good  lady  believing  him  a  sincere  and  devout  man,)  he 
becomes  the  guide  of  her  soul,  of  her  house  and  family,  and 
most  commonly  the  ruin  of  her  children,  and  sooetmies  her 
own  ruin  too.  I  will  give  the  following  instance  to  confirm 
this  truth;  and  as  the  thing  was  public,  I  need  not  scruple 
to  mention  it  with  the  real  names.  In  the  year  1706,  F.  An- 
tonio Gallardo,  Augustin  friar,  murdered  Donna  Isabella 
Mendez,  and  a  child  three  weeks  old  sucking  at  her  breast. 
The  lady  was  but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
married  eight  years  to  Don  Francisco  Mendez.  The  friar  had 
been  her  spiritual  guide  all  that  v,'hile,and  all  the  family  had  sc 
great  a  respect  and  esteem  for  him,  that  he  was  the  absolute 
master  of  the  house.  The  lady  was  brought  to  bed,  and  Don 
Francisco  being  obliged  to  go  into  the  country  for  four  days, 
desired  the  fathei  to  come  and  lie  in  his  house,  and  take 
care  of  it  in  his  absence.  The  father's  room  was  alway* 
ready:  so  he. went  there  the  same  day  Don  Francisco  went 
into  the  country.     At  eight  at  night,  both  the  father  and  tho 


»IASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  53 

ady  went  to  supper,  and  after  he  sent  all  the  maids  and  ser- 
vants into  the  hall  to  sup,  the  lady  took  the  child  to  give  him 
guck;  and  the  friar  told  her,  in  plain  and  short  reasrms,  his 
love,  and  that  without  any  reply  or  delay,  she  must  comply 
with  his  request.  The  lady  said  to  him.  Father,  if  you  propose 
such  a  thing  to  t^-y  my  faithfulness  and  virtue,  you  know  my 
conscience  these  eight  years  past;  and  if  you  have  any  ill  de- 
sign, 1  will  call  my  family  to  prevent  your  further  assurance. 
The  friar  then  in  a  fury  taking  a  knife,  killed  the  child,  and 
wounded  so  deeply  the  mother,  that  she  died  two  hours  a  fter. 
The  friar  made  his  escape,  but  whether  he  went  to  his  convent 
or  not,  we  did  not  hear.  I  myself  saw  the  lady  dead,  and 
went  to  her  burial  in  the  church  of  the  old  St.  John. 

0.  If  a  Beata  goes  to  confess,  which  they  do  ever)  iay,  or 
at  least  every  other  day,  then  the  Confessor,  with  a  gieat  deal 
of  patience,  hears  her  (sure  of  his  reward.)  I  cannot  pass  by 
without  giving  a  plain  description  of  the  women  called  Beatas, 
i.  e.  blessed  women.  These  arc  most  commonly  tradesmen's 
wives,  [generally  speaking,  ugly]  and  of  a  middle  age.  But 
this  rule  has  some  exceptions,  for  there  are  some  Beatas  young 
and  handsome.  They  are  dressed  with  modesty,  and  walk, 
with  a  serious  countenance.  But  since  their  designs  in  this 
outward  modesty,  were  discovered,  they  are  less  in  number 
and  almost  out  of  fashion,  since  king  Philip  came  to  the 
throne  of  Spain ;  for  the  French  liberty  and  freedom  being 
introduced  amongst  the  ladies,  they  have  no  occasion  of  strat- 
agems to  go  abroad  when  they  please:  So,  as  the  design  of  a 
Beata  was  to  have  an  excuse,  on  pretence  of  confession,  to  go 
out,  snhlata  causa  tolUtur  effectus. 

The  Confessor,  I  said,  of  a  Beata,  was  sure  of  his  reward; 
for  she,  watching  the  living  and  the  dead,  useth  to  gather 
money  for  masses,  from  several  people,  to  satisfy  her  confessor 
for  the  trouble  of  hearing  her  impertinences  every  day.  A 
Beata  sometimes  makes  her  confessor  believe  that  many 
things  were  revealed  to  her  by  the  Holy  Spirit;  sometimes 
«he  pretends  to  work  miracles;  and  by  such  visions,  fancies, 
or  dreams,  the  confessors  fall  into  horrible  crimes  before  God 
and  the  world. 

The  following  instance,  which  was  puDlished  b>  .he  inquisitors,  wil  t  te.-?- 
tiinony  of  this  truth.  I  give  the  real  names  of  the  persons  in  this  accoun  -, 
oecause  the  thing  was  made  public. 

In  the  city  of  Saragossa,  near  the  college  of  St.  Thomas  of 
Villaneuva,   lived  Mary  Guerrero,  married  to  a  tay/or;  she 

£  2 


54  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

was  handsome,  witty,  and  ambitious :  but  as  the  rank  of  a 
faylor's  wife  could  not  make  her  shine  among  the  quality, 
she  undertook  the  life  of  a  Beata,  to  be  known  by  it  in  the 
city.  The  first  step  she  was  to  make  was  to  choose  a  confes- 
sor of  good  parts,  and  of  good  reputation  am.ong  the  nobility; 
so  she  pitched  upon  the  reverend  Father  Fr.  Michael  Navarro, 
a  Dominican  Friar,  a  man  who  was  D.  D.  and  a  man  univer- 
sally well  beloved  for  his  doctrine  and  good  behaviour.  But, 
quando  Venus  vigilat,  Minerva  dormit.  She  began  to  confess 
to  him,  and  in  less  than  a  year,  by  her  feigned  modesty,  and 
hypocritical  airs;  and  by  confessing  no  sins,  but  the  religious 
exercises  of  her  life;  the  reverend  father  began  to  publish  in 
the  city  her  sanctity  to  the  highest  pitch.  Many  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  first  rank,  desirous  to  see  the  new  saint, 
sent  for  her,  but  she  did  not  appear,  but  by  her  maid,  gave  a 
denial  to  all.  This  was  a  new  addition  to  the  fame  of  her 
sanctity,  and  a  new  incitement  to  the  ladies  to  see  her.  So 
some,  going  to  visit  Father  Navarro,  desired  the  favor  of  him 
to  go  along  with  them,  and  introduce  them  to  the  blessed 
Guerrero:  But  the  father,  (either  bewitched  by  her,  or  in  ex- 
pectation of  a  bishoprick,  for  the  making  of  a  saint,  or  the  bet- 
ter to  conceal  his  private  designs,)  answered,  that  he  could 
not  do  such  a  thing;  for,  knowing  her  virtue,  modesty,  and 
aversion  to  any  act  of  vanity,  he  should  be  very  much  in  thb 
"vvrong  to  give  her  opportunities  of  cooling  her  fervent  zeal  and 
purity. 

By  that  means,  rich  and  poor,  old  and  young,  men  and  wo- 
men, began  to  resort  to  her  neighbor's  house,  and  the  Domin- 
ican church,  only  to  see  the  blessed  Guerrero.  She  shewed  a 
great  displeasure  at  these  popular  demonstrations  of  respect, 
and  resolved  to  keep  close  at  home;  and  after  a  long  consult- 
ation with  the  Father  Navarro,  they  agreed  that  she  should 
keep  her  room,  and  that  he  would  go  to  confess  her,  and  sa} 
mass  in  her  room,  (for  the  Dominicans,  and  the  four  Mendi- 
cant orders,  have  a  privilege  for  their  friars  to  say  Mass,  or, 
as  they  say,  to  set  an  altar  every  where.)  To  begin  this  new 
way  of  living,  the  father  charged  her  husband  to  qui^  the 
house  and  never  appear  before  his  wife;  for  his  sight  would 
t^e  a  great  hindrance  to  his  wife's  sanctity  and  purity;  and 
the  r*oor  sot  believing  every  thing,  went  away  and  took  a 
Iodising  for  himself  and  apprentice. 

They  continued  this  way  of  living,  both  she  and  the  Father, 
a  whole  year;  but  the  fatigue  of  going  every  day  to  say  Mass 
and  confess  the  blessed,  being  too  great  for  the  reverend,  he 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  55 

asked  leave  fvom  the  reverend  father  Buenacasa,  then  prior  of 
the  convent,  to  go  and  hve  with  her  as  a  spiritual  guide.  The 
prior,  foreseeing  some  great  advantage,  gave  him  leave,  so  he 
v/ent  for  good  and  all  to  be  her  lodger  and  master  of  the 
house.  When  the  father  was  in  the  house,  ha  began  by  de- 
grees to  give  permission  to  the  people  now  and  then  to  see  the 
blessed,  through  the  glass  of  a  little  window,  desiring  them  not 
to  make  a  noise,  for  fear  of  disturbing  the  blessed  in  her  exer- 
cise of  devotion :  She  was  in  her  own  room,  always  upon  her 
knees,  when  some  people  were  to  see  her  through  the  glass, 
which  was  in  the  wall  between  her  room  and  that  of  the  rev- 
erend. In  a  few  months  after,  the  archbishop  went  to  see  her, 
and  conversed  with  her  and  the  father  Navarro,  who  was  in 
great  friendship  with,  and  much  honored  by  his  Grace.  This 
example  of  the  prelate  put  the  nobility  in  mind  to  do  the  same. 
The  viceroy  not  being  permitted  by  his  royal  representation 
to  go  to  her,  sent  his  coach  one  night  for  her,  and  both  the  fa- 
ther and  the  blessed  had  the  honor  to  su[)  in  private  with  his 
Excellency.  This  being  spread  abroad,  she  was  troubled 
with  coaches  and  presents  from  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
people.  Many  sick  went  there  in  hopes  to  be  healed  by  her 
sight;  and  some  that  happened  to  go  when  nature  itself  was 
upon  the  crisis,  or  by  the  exercise  of  walking,  or  by  some  other 
natural  operation,  finding  themselves  better,  used  to  cry  out, 
a  miracle,  a  miracle!  She  wanted  nothing  but  to  be  carried 
on  a  pedestal  upon  the  ignoraiit's  shoulders:  The  fame  of 
her  sanctity  was  spread  so  far,  that  she  was  troubled  every 
post  day  with  letters  from  people  of  quality  in  other  provinces, 
so  the  reverend  was  obliged  to  take  a  secretary  under  him, 
and  a  porter  to  keep  the  door;  fur  they  had  removed  to  another 
house  of  better  ap{)earance  and  more  conveniency.  Thus 
they  continued  for  the  space  of  tv.o  years,  and  all  this  while 
the  reverend  was  writing  the  life  of  the  blessed;  and  many 
times  he  was  pressed  to  print  part  of  her  life;  but  the  time  of 
the  discovery  of  their  wickedness  being  come,  they  were  ta- 
ken by  an  order  from  the  holy  inquisition. 

The  discovery  happened  thus :  Ann  Moron,  a  surgeon's 
wife,  who  lived  next  door  to  the  blessed,  had  a  child  of  ten 
months  old;  and,  as  a  neighbor,  she  went  to  desire  the  rever- 
end to  beg  of  the  blessed  to  take  the  child  and  kiis  him,  think 
ing,  that  by  such  an  holy  kiss,  her  child  would  b-s  happy 
forever.  But  the  reverend  desiring  her  to  go  heit  elf  ana 
make  the  request  to  the  blessed,  she  did  it  accordingly.  Mary 
Guerrero  took  the  cHild,  and  bid  the  mother  leave  him  with 


50  MASTER-KEY   TO   POFERY. 

her  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Ann  Moron  then  thought  that 
her  child  was  already  in  heaven;  but  when  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  after,  she  came  again  for  the  child,  the  blessed  told  her, 
that  her  child  was  to  die  the  night  following,  for  so  God  had 
revealed  to  her  in  a  short  prayer  she  made  for  the  child.  The 
child  really  died  the  night  following,  but  the  surgeon,  as  a 
tender  father,  seeing  some  spots  and  marks  in  his  child's  body, 
opened  it,  and  found  in  it  the  cause  of  its  unfortunate  death, 
which  was  a  dose  of  poison.  Upon  this  suspicion  of  the 
chiWs  being  poisoned,  and  the  foretelling  of  his  death  by  the 
blessed,  the  father  went  to  the  inquisitors,  and  told  the  nature  of 
the  thing. 

Don  Pedro  Guerrero,  the  fii'st  inquisitor,  was  then  absent; 
so  Don  Francisco  Torrejon,  second  inquisitor  went  himself  to 
examine  the  thing,  and  seeing  the  child  dead,  and  all  the  cir- 
cumstances against  the  blessed,  he  then  ordered  that  she  and 
the  reverend,  and  all  their  domestic  servants,  should  be 
secured  immediately,  and  sent  to  the  holy  inquisition.  All 
things  were  done  accordingly,  and  this  sudden  and  unexpect- 
ed accident  made  such  a  noise  in  town,  that  every  body  rea- 
soned in  his  own  way,  but  nobody  dared  to  speak  of  the 
inquisitor.  At  the  same  time  every  thing  in  the  house  was 
seized  upon,  with  the  papers  of  the  reverend,  &;c.  Among 
the  papers  was  found  the  life  of  the  blessed,  written  by  father 
Navarro's  own  hand.  I  said  in  the  beginning  that  he  was 
bevvitched,  and  so  many  people  believed ;  for  it  seemed  in- 
credible that  so  learned  a  man  as  he  was  in  his  own  religion, 
should  fall  into  so  gross  an  ignorance  as  to  write  such  a  piece, 
in  the  method  it  was  found  composed;  for  the  manuscript 
contained  about  six  hundred  sheets,  which  by  an  order  of  (he 
inquisitors,  were  sent  to  the  qualijicators  of  the  holy  office^  to 
be  reviev>ed  by  them,  and  to  have  their  opinions  thereupon. 
I  shall  speak  of  these  qualificators,  v»"hen  I  come  to  treat  of 
the  inquisitors  and  their  practices.  Now  it  is  sufficient  to 
say,  that  all  the  qualificators,  being  examinators  of  the  crimes 
committed  against  the  holy  catholic  faith,  examined  the  sheets, 
and  their  opinion  was,  that  the  book  entitled  the  life  of  the 
blessed  Mary  Guerrero,  composed  by  the  reverend  lather  Fr. 
Michael  Navarro,  was  scandalous,  false,  and  against  revealed 
doctrines  in  the  scripture,  and  good  manners,  and  that  it  de- 
served to  be  burnt  in  the  common  yard  of  the  holy  office,  by 
the  mean  officer  of  it. 

After  this  examination  was  made,  the  inquisitors  summoned 
two  priests  out  of  every  parish  church,  and  two  friars  out  of 


MASTEr.-KEY    TO    POrERY.  57 

every  conven  ,  to  come  such  a  clay  to  the  hall  of  the  holy 
tribunal,  to  be  present  at  the  trial  and  examinations  against 
Mary  Guerrero,  and  Michael  Navarro.  It  was  my  turn  to  go 
to  that  tria.  tor  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator.  We 
went  the  day  appointed,  all  the  summoned  priests  and  friars, 
to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  fifty,  bes  des  the  inquisitors, 
officers  of  the  inquisition,  and  qualificators;  these  had  the 
cross  of  the  holy  ofiice  before  their  breasts,"  which  is  set  upon 
tlieir  habits  in  a  very  nice  manner.  The  number  of  qualifi- 
cators I  reckoned  that  day  in  the  hall,  were  two  hundred  and 
twenty.  When  all  the  summoned  were  together,  and  the  in- 
quisitors under  a  canopy  of  black  velvet,  (which  is  placed  at 
the  right  corner  of  the  altar,  upon  which  was  an  image  of  the 
crucifix,  and  six  yellow  wax  candles,  w  ithout  any  other  light,) 
they  made  the  signal  to  bring  the  prisoners  to  the  bar,  and 
immediately  they  came  out  of  the  prison,  and  kneeling  down 
before  the  holy  fathers,  the  secretary  began  to  read  the 
articles  of  the  examination,  and  convictions  of  their  crimes. 

Indeed,  both  the  father  and  the  blessed  appeared  that  day 
very  much  like  saints,  if  we  will  believe  the  Roman's  proverb, 
that  paleness  and  thin  visage  is  a  sign  of  sanctity.  The 
examination,  and  the  lecture  of  their  crimes  was  so  long, 
that  we  were  summoned  three  times  more  upon  the  same 
trial,  in  which  to  the  best  of  my  memory,  I  heard  the  follow- 
ing articles : 

That  by  the  blessed's  confession  to  Michael  Navarro,  this 
in  the  beginning  of  her  life  says:  1st.  That  the  blessed  crea- 
ture knew  no  sin  since  she  was  born  into  the  world.  2d.  She 
has  been  several  times  visited  by  the  angels  in  her  closet;  and 
Jesus  Christ  himself  has  come  down  thrice  to  give  her  new 
heavenly  instructions.  3d.  She  was  advised  by  the  divine 
spouse  to  live  separately  from  her  husband.  4th.  She  w^as 
once  favored  with  a  visit  of  the  holy  trinity,  and  then  she 
saw  Jesus  at  the  left  hand  of  the  Father.  5th.  The  holy  dove 
came  afterwards  and  sat  upon  her  head  many  times.  6th. 
This  holy  co  nforter  has  foretold  her,  that  her  body  after  death 
shall  be  ahva  ys  incorruptible ;  and  that  a  great  king,  with  the 
news  of  hei  death,  shall  come  to  honor  her  sepulchre  with 
this  motto :  "  The  soul  of  this  warrior*  is  the  glory  of  my 
kingdom,*"  7th.  Jesus  Christ,  in  a  Dominican's  habit,  ap- 
peared to  her  at  night,  and  in  a  celestial  dream  she  was  over- 
rhadowei  by  the  spirit.     8th.  She  had  taken  out  of  purgatory 

*  Guerrero^  in  Spamsh,  signifies  varrior. 


58  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPEBY. 

seven  tir.es  fvie  soul  of  her  companion's  sister.  (What  folly!) 
9th.  The  Pope  and  the  whole  church  shall  rejoice  in  her 
death;  nay,  his  holiness  shall  canonize  her,  and  put  her  in  the 
litany  before  the  apostles,  &c. 

Alter  these  things,  her  private  miracles  were  read,  &c.,  and 
so  many  passages  of  her  life,  that  it  would  be  too  tedious  to 
give  an  account  of  them.  I  only  write  these  to  show  the  stu- 
pidity of  the  reverend  Navarro,  who,  if  he  had  been  in  his 
perfect  senses,  could  not  have  committed  so  gross  an  error.- — 
(This  was  the  pious  people's  opinion.) — The  truth  is,  that  the 
Blessed  v/as  not  overshadowed  by  the  spirit,  but  by  her  con- 
fessor; for  she  being  at  that  time  with  child,  and  delivered  in 
the  inquisition,  one  article  against  the  father  was,  that  he  had 
his  bed  near  her  bed,  and  that  he  was  the  father  of  the  new 
child,  or  monster  on  earth. 

Their  sentences  were  not  read  in  public,  -and  what  was 
their  end  we  knov/  not;  only  we  heard  that  the  husband  of 
the  blessed  had  notice  given  him  by  an  officer  of  the  holy 
office,  that  he  was  at  liberty  to  marry  any  other  he  had  a  fancy 
for;  and  by  this  true  account  the  public  may  easily  know  the 
extravagancies  of  the  Romish  confessors,  who,  blinded  either 
by  their  own  passions,  or  by  the  subtleties  of  the  wicked  bea- 
tas ;  do  commit  so  great  and  heinous  crimes,  &c. 

There  is  another  sort  of  beatas,  whom  we  call  endemonia 
das,  i.  e.  demoniacs,  and  by  these  possessed  the  confessor  gets 
a  vast  deal  of  masses.  I  will  tell  you,  reader,  the  nature  of  the 
thing,  and  by  it  you  will  see  the  cheat  of  the  confessor  and 
the  demoniac.  I  said  before,  that  among  the  beatas  there  are 
two  sorts,  young,  and  of  middle  age,  but  all  married;  and  that 
the  young  undertake  the  way  of  confessing  every  day,  or 
three  times  a  week,  to  get  opportunity  of  going  abroad,  and  be 
delivered  a  while  from  their  husbands' jealousies:  But  many 
husbands  being  jealous  of  the  flies  that  come  near  their  wives, 
they  scarcely  give  them  leave  to  go  to  confess.  Observe  fur- 
ther, that  those  women  make  their  husbands  believe  that  out 
of  spite,  a  witch  has  given  them  the  evil  spirit,  and  they  make 
such  unus  lal  gestures,  both  w^ith  their  faces  and  mouths,  that 
it  is  enough  to  make  the  world  laugh  only  at  the  sight  of  them. 
"VVlien  they  are  in  the  tit  of  the  evil  spirit  they  talk  blasphe- 
mously against  God  and  his  saints;  they  beat  husbands  and 
servants;  they  put  themselves  in  such  a  sweat,  that  when  the 
evil  spit  it  leaves  them  for  a  while,  ("as  they  say,)  they  cannot 
stand  upon  their  feet  for  excessive  fatigue.  The  poor  deceiv- 
ed husbands,  roubled  in  mind  and  body,  send  for  a  physician; 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  59 

but  this  Sttys,  he  las  no  remedy  for  sucii  a  distemper,  and  that 
physic  knows  no  manner  of  devil,  and  so,  their  dt  aling  being 
not  with  the  spirit,  but  with  the  body,  he  sends  the  i-«usband  tc 
the  spiritual  physician;  and  by  that  means  they  are,  out  of 
a  good  design,  procurers  for  their  own  wives;  for  really 
they  go  (0  the  spiritual  father,  begging  his  favor  and  assistance 
to  come  to  exorcise,  i.  e.  to  read  the  prayer  of  the  church,  ajid 
to  turn  out  the  evil  spirit  out  of  his  wife's  body.  Then  the 
father  makes  him  understan.!,  that  the  thing  is  very  trouble- 
some, and  that  if  the  devil  is  oLslinate  and  positive,  he  cannot 
leave  his  wife  in  three  or  four  nights,  and  may  be,  in  a  month 
or  two;  by  which  he  must  neglect  other  business  of  honor 
and  profit.  To  this  tiie  deluded  husuand  promises  that  his 
trouble  shall  be  well  recompensed,  and  puts  a  piece  of  gold  in 
his  hand,  to  make  him  easy;  so  he  pays  beforehand  for  his 
future  dishonor.  Then  the  father  exorcist  goes  along  wath 
him,  and  as  soon  as  the  wife  hears  the  voice  of  the  exorcist, 
she  flies  inco  an  unmeasurable  fury,  and  cries  out,  do  not  let 
that  man  (meaning  the  exorcist)  come  to  torment  me  (as  if  the 
devil  did  speak  in  her  and  f.jr  her.)  But  he  takes  the  hysop 
with  holy  water  and  sprinkles  the  room.  Here  the  demoniac 
throweth  herself  on  the  floor,  teareth  her  clothes  and  hair,  as 
if  she  was  perfectly  a  mad  v/oman.  Then  the  priest  tieth 
the  blessed  stole,  i.  e.  a  sort  of  scarf  they  make  use  of  among 
other  ornaments  to  say  mass,  ujjon  her  neck,  and  begins  the 
prayers.  Sometimes  the  devil  is  very  timorous,  and  leaves 
the  creature  immediately  easy;  sometimes  he  is  obstinate, 
and  will  resist  a  long  while  before  he  obeys  the  exorcisms  of 
the  church;  but  at  last  he  retires  himself  into  his  own  habita- 
tion, and  frees  the  creature  from  his  torments;  for,  they  say, 
that  the  devil  or  evil  spirit,  sometimes  hi;s  his  place  in  the 
head,  sometimes  in  the  stomach,  sometime^  in  the  liver,  <S^c. 
After  the  woman  is  easy  for  a  while,  they  cat  and  drink  the 
best  that  can  be  found  in  the  tov,  n. 

A  while  after,  when  the  husband  is  to  mind  his  o\\  n  busi- 
ness, the  wife,  on  pretence  that  the  evil  spirit  begins  again  to 
trouble  her,  goes  inio  lier  chamber  and  desireth  the  father  to 
hear  her  confession.  They  lock  the  door  after  them,  and 
v\iiat  they  do  for  an  hour  or  t\\'o,  God  only  knoweth.  These 
private  confessions  and  exercises  of  devotion  continue  for 
several  months  together,  and  the  husband  loth  to  go  to  bed 
with  his  vvife,  for  fear  of  the  evil  spirit,  goes  to  another  cham- 
ber, and  the  father  lieth  in  the  same  room  with  his  wife  on  a 
field-bed,  to  be  always  ready,  when  the  malignant  spirit  conies 


GO  ]yiASTEK-KE¥    TO    rOl'ERY, 

to  exorcise,  nnd  beat  him  with  the  holy  Slola.  So  deeply 
ignorant  an  the  people  in  that  part  of  the  world,  or  so  great 
bigots,  tha ,.  on  pretence  of  religious  remedies  to  cm-e  their 
wives  of  the  devihsh  distemper,  they  contract  a  worse  distem- 
per on  their  heads  and  honors,  which  no  physician,  either 
spiritual  ''a*  corporal,  can  ever  cure. 

When  m  a  month  or  two,  the  father  and  the  demoniac  have 
settled  matters  between  themselves,  for  the  time  to  come,  he 
tells  the  husband,  that  the  devil  is  in  a  great  measure  tamed, 
by  the  daily  exorcisms  of  the  holy  mother,  the  church,  and 
that  it  is  time  for  him  to  retire,  and  mind  other  business  of  his 
convent;  and  that,  it  being  impossible  for  him  to  continue  lon- 
ger in  his  house,  all  he  can  do,  is  to  serve  him  and  her  in  his 
convent,  if  she  goes  there  every  day.  The  husband,  with  a 
great  deal  of  thanks,  pays  the  father  for  his  trouble,  who,  tak- 
ing his  leave,  goes  to  his  community,  and  gives  to  the  father 
prior  two  parts  of  the  money  (for  the  third  part  is  allowed  to 
him  for  his  own  pains.)  The  day  following,  in  the  morning, 
the  demoniac  is  worse  than  she  was  before :  Then  the  hus- 
band, out  of  faith,  and  the  zeal  of  a  good  Christian,  crieth  out, 
the  father  is  gone,  and  the  devil  is  loose :  The  exorcisms  of 
the  church  are  not  ready  at  hand,  and  the  evil  spirit  thinks 
himself  at  liberty,  and  begins  to  trouble  the  poor  creature :  Let 
us  send  her  to  the  convent,  and  the  bold,  malignant  spirit  shall 
pay  dear  there  for  this  new  attempt.  So  the  wife  goes  to  the 
father,  and  the  father  takes  her  into  a  little  room,  next  to  the 
vestry,  (a  place  to  receive  their  acquaintance,  only  of  the  fe- 
male sex,)  and  there,  both  in  private,  the  father  appeases  the 
devil,  and  the  woman  goes  quiet  and  easy  to  her  house,  where 
she  continues  in  the  same  easiness  till  the  next  morning. 
Then  the  devil  begins  to  trouble  her  again ;  and  the  husband 
says,  O  obstinate  spirit!  You  make  all  this  noise  because  the 
hour  of  being  beaten  with  the  holy  stola  is  near :  I  know  that 
your  spite  and  malice  against  the  exorcisms  of  the  church  is 
great;  but  the  power  of  them  is  greater  than  thine:  Go,  go  to 
the  father,  and  go  through  all  the  lashes  of  the  stola.  So  the 
woman  goes  again  to  the  father,  and  in  this  manner  of  life 
they  continue  for  a  long  while. 

There  is  of  these  beatas,  in  every  convent  church,  not  a 
few,  for  sometimes,  one  of  these  exorcists  keeps  sLx,  and  some- 
times ten,  by  whom,  and  their  husbands,  he  is  very  well  paid 
for  the  trouble  of  confessing  them  every  day,  and  for  taming 
the  devil.  But  the  most  pleasant  thing  among  those  demoni- 
acs iSy  that  'ihey  have  different  devils  that  trouble  them;  for, 


mast2R-b:ey  to  popery.  C^ 

by  a  strict  commandment  of  tlie  father,  they  are  forced  to  tell 
their  names,  so  one  is  called  Belzebub,  another  Lucifer,  &-c. : 
And  those  devils  are  very  jealous,  one  of  another.  I  saw  seve- 
ral times,  in  the  body  of  the  church,  a  battle  among  three  of 
those  demoniacs,  on  pretence  of  being  in  the  fit  of  the  evil 
S])irit,  threatening  and  beating  one  another,  and  calling  one 
another  nicknames,  till  the  father  came  with  the  hysop,  holy 
water  and  the  stola,  to  appease  them,  and  bid  them  to  be  si- 
lent, and  not  to  make  such  a  noise  in  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
And  the  whole  matter  was,  (as  we  knew  afterwards,)  that  the 
father  exorcist  was  more  careful  of  one  than  the  otliers;  and 
jealousy  (which  is  the  worse  devil)  getting  into  their  heads, 
they  give  it  to  their  respective  devils,  who,  with  an  infernal 
fury,  fought  one  against  another,  out  of  pet  and  revenge  fur 
the  sake  of  their  lodrjins-room. 

In  the  city  Huesca,  where  (as  they  believe)  Pontius  Pilate 
was  professor  of  law  in  the  university,  and  his  chair,  or  part 
of  it,  is  kept  in  the  bishop's  palace  for  a  show,  and  a  piece  of 
antiquity,  (and  which  I  saw  myself,)  I  say,  I  saw,  and  conver- 
sed both  with  the  father  exorcist  and  the  beata  demoniac 
about  the  following  instance : 

The  thing  not  being  publicly  divulged,  but  among  a  few 
persons,  I  will  give  an  account  of  it  under  the  names  of  father 
John  and  Dorothea.  This  Dorothea,  when  13  years  old,  was 
married,  against  her  inclinations,  to  a  tradesman  50  years  old. 
The  beauty  of  Dorothea,  and  tlie  ugliness  of  her  husband, 
were  very  much,  the  one  admired,  and  the  other  observed  by 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  The  bishop's  secretary  made 
the  match,  and  read  the  ceremony  of  the  church,  for  he  was 
the  only  executor  of  her  father's  will  and  testament.  She 
was  known  by  the  name  of  Young  dancing  eyes.  Her  hus- 
band -was  jealous  of  her,  in  the  highest  degree:  She  could  not 
go  out  without  him;  and  so  she  sufiered  this  torment  for  the 
space  of  three  years.  She  had  an  aversion,  and  a  great  an- 
tipathy against  him.  Her  confessor  was  a  young,  well-shaped 
friar;  and  whether  out  of  her  own  contrivance,  or  by  the 
friar's  advice,  one  day,  unexpected  by  her  husband,  the  devil 
was  detected  and  manifested  in  her.  What  affliction  this  was 
to  the  old,  amorous,  jealous  husband,  is  inexoressible.  The 
poor  man  went  himself  to  the  Jesuit's  college,  next  to  his 
house,  for  an  exorcist,  but  the  Jesuit  could  do  nothing  to  ap- 
pease that  devil,  to  the  great  surprise  of  the  poor  husband,  and 
many  others  too,  who  believe,  that  a  Jesuit  can  commana  anU 
F 

\ 


62  MASTER-KEY   TO   TOPERY. 

overcome  the  devil  himself,  and  that  the  devils  are  more 
afraid  of  a  jesi't,  than  of  their  sovereign  prince  in  hell. 

The  poor  husband  sent  for  many  others,  but  the  effect  did 
not  answer  the  purpose;  till  at  last  her  own  confessor  came 
to  her,  and  after  many  exorcisms  and  private  prayers,  she 
was  (or  the  devil  in  her)  pacified  for  a  while.  This  was  a 
testimony  of  the  father  John's  fervent  zeal  and  virtue  to  the 
husband ;  so  they  settled  how  the  case  was  to  be  managed  for 
the  future.  Friar  John  was  very  well  recompensed  upon  the 
bargain;  and  both  the  demoniac  and  friar  John  continued  in 
daily  battle  with  the  evil  spirit  for  two  years  together.  The 
husband  began  to  sleep  quiet  and  easy,  thinking  that  his  wife, 
having  the  devil  in  her  body,  was  not  able  to  be  unfaithful  to 
him;  for  while  the  malignant  torments  the  body,  the  woman 
begins  to  fast  in  public,  and  eat  in  private  with  the  exorcist; 
and  the  exercises  of  such  demoniacs  are  all  of  prayers  and 
devotions;  so  the  deceived  husband  believes  it  is  better  to 
have  a  demoniac  wife,  than  one  free  from  the  evil  spirit. 

The  exorcisms  of  friar  John,  (being  to  appease  not  a  spir- 
itual, but  a  material  devil,)  he  and  Dorothea  were  both  dis- 
covered, and  found  in  the  fact,  by  a  friar  in  the  same  convent, 
who,  by  many  presents  from  friar  John  and  Dorothea,  did  not 
reveal  the  thing  to  the  prior,  but  he  told  it  to  some  of  his 
friends,  which  were  enemies  to  friar  John,  from  whom  I  heard 
the  story.  For  my  part,  I  did  not  believe  it  for  a  while,  till  at 
last,  I  knew,  that  the  friar  John  was  removed  into  another  con- 
vent, and  that  Dorothea  left  her  house  and  husband,  and  went 
after  him;  though  the  husband  endeavored  to  spread  abroad, 
that  the  devil  had  stolen  his  wife.  These  are  the  effects  of  the 
practices  of  the  demoniacs  and  exorcists. 


Now  I  come  to  the  persons  of  public  autliority,  either  in  ecclesiastical,  civil, 
or  military  affairs,  and  to  tlie  ladies  of  the  first  quality  or  rank  in  the  world. 
As  to  those,  I  must  beg  leave  to  tell  the  truth,  as  well  as  of  tlie  inferior 
people.  But,. because  the  confessors  of  such  persons  are  most  commonly 
all  Jesuits,  it  seems  very  apropos  to  give  a  description  of  tliose  Fathers,  tlieir 
practices  and  lives,  and  to  write  of  them,  what  I  know  to  be  the  matter  of 
fact. 

Almost  in  all  the  Roman-Catholic  countries,  the  Jesuit 
fathers  are  the  teachers  of  the  Latin  tongue,  and  to  this  pur- 
pose they  have  in  every  college,  (so  they  call  their  convents) 
four  large  rooms,  which  are  called  the  four  classes  for  the 
grammar.  There  is  one  teacher  in  each  of  them.  The  city 
joiporation,  or  political  body,  paying  the  rector  of  the  Jesuits 


MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY.  68 

BO  much  a  year  and  the  young  gentlemen  are  at  no  expense 
at  all  for  learning  the  Latin  tongue.  The  scholars  lodge  in 
town,  and  they  go  every  day,  from  eight  in  the  morning  till 
eleven,  t3  the  college;  and  when  the  clock  strikes  eleven, 
they  go  along  with  the  four  teachers  to  hear  mass :  They  go 
at  two  in  the  afternoon,  till  half  after  four,  and  so  they  do  ail 
the  year  long,  except  the  holidays,  and  the  vacations  from 
the  fifteenth  of  August  till  the  ninth  of  September.  As  the 
four  teachers  receive  nothing  for  their  trouble,  because  the 
payment  of  the  city  goes  to  the  community,  they  have  con- 
trived how  to  be  recompensed  for  their  labor:  There  were 
in  the  college  of  Saragossa,  when  I  learned  Latin,  very  near 
six  hundred  scholars,  noblemen,  and  tradesmen's  sons ;  every 
one  was  to  pay  every  Saturday  a  real  of  plate  for  the  rule  (as 
they  call  it.)  There  is  a  custom .  to  have  a  public  literal  act 
once  every  day,  to  which  are  invited  the  young  gentlemen's 
parents,  but  none  of  the  common  people.  The  father  rector 
and  all  the  community  are  present,  and  placed  in  their  velvet 
chairs.  To  the  splendid  performance  of  this  act,  the  four 
teachers  chuse  twelve  gentlemen,  and  each  of  them  is  to  make, 
by  heart,  a  Latin  sjxccch  in  the  pulpit.  They  chuse  besides 
the  twelve,  one  emperor,  two  kings,  and  two  pretors,  which 
are  always  the  most  noble  of  the  young  gentlemen :  They 
wear  crowns  on  their  heads  that  day,  which  is  the  distinguish- 
ing character  .of  their  learning.  The  emperor  sits  under  a 
canopy,  the  pretors  on  each  side,  and  the  kings  a  step  lower, 
and  the  twelve  senators  in  two  lines  next  to  the  throne.  This 
act  lasts  three  hours;  and  after  all  is  over,  the  teachers  and 
the  father  rector  invite  the  nobility  and  the  emperor,  wiih 
the  pretors,  kings  and  senators,  to  go  to  the  common  hall  of 
the  college,  to  take  refreshment  of  the  most  nice  sweetmeats 
and  best  liquor.  The  fathers  of  the  emperor,  kmgs,  pretors, 
anl  senators,  are  to  pay  for  all  the  charges  and  expenses, 
which  are  fixed  to  be  a  hundred  pistoles  every  month.  And 
every  time  there  are  new  emperors  or  kings,  &:c.  by  mrxierate 
computation,  we  were  sure,  that  out  of  the  remainder  of  the 
hundred  '3istoles  a  month,  and  a  real  of  plate  every  Wcick  from 
each  of  the  scholars,  the  four  father  teachers  had  c.ear,  to 
be  divided  among  themselves  every  year,  sixteen  Hundred 
pistoles. 

We  must  own  that  the  Jesuits  are  very  fit,  and  the  most  proper 
persons  for  the  education  of  youth,  and  that  all  these  exercises 
and  public  acts  (though  for  their  interests)  are  great  stimula- 
tions and  incitements  to  learning  in  young  gentlemen;  for  one 


64  MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

of  therr.  will  study  night  and  day  only  to  get  the  empty  title  o : 
emperor,  &c.  once  in  a  month;  and  their  parents  are  very 
glad  to  expend  eight  pistoles  a  year  to  encourage  their  sons 
and  besides  that,  they  believe,  that  they  are  under  a  great  obli- 
gation to  the  Jesuits'  college,  and  the  Jesuits  knowing  their 
tempers,  become,  not  only  acquainted  with  them,  but  absolute 
masters  of  their  houses:  I  must  own,  likewise,  that  I  never 
heard  of  any  Jesuit  father,  any  thing  against  good  manners  or 
Christian  conversation;  for  really,  they  behave  themsebes, 
as  to  outward  appearance,  vvith  so  great  civility,  modesty,  and 
policy,  that  nobody  has  any  thing  to  say  against  their  deport- 
ment ill  the  v/orld,  except  self-interest  and  ambition. 

And  really,  the  Jesuits'  order  is  the  richest  of  all  the  orders 
1 1  Christendom ;  and  because  the  reason  of  it  is  not  well  known, 
I  will  now  tell  the  ways  by  which  they  gather  together  so  great 
treasures  every  where.  As  they  are  universally  teachers  of 
the  Latin  tongue,  and  have  this  opportunity  to  know  the  youth, 
they  pitch  upon  the  most  ingenious  young  men,  and  upon  the 
richest  of  all,  though  they  be  not  very  witty;  they  spare 
neither  time,  nor  persuasions,  nor  presents,  to  persuade  them 
to  be  of  the  society  of  Jesus  (so  they  name  their  order) :  the 
poor  and  ingenious  are  very  glad  of  it,  and  the  noble  and  rich 
too,  thinking  to  be  great  men  upon  account  of  their  quality : 
so  their  colleges  are  composed  of  witty  and  noble  people.  By 
the  noble  gentlemen  they  get  riches;  by  the  witty  and  ingeni- 
ous they  support  their  learning,  and  breed  up  teachers  and 
great  men  to  govern  the  cons'-iences  of  princes,  people  of 
public  authorit}^,  and  ladies  of  the  fii'st  rank. 

They  do  not  receive  ladies  in  private  in  their  colleges,  but 
always  in  the  middle  of  the  church  or  chapel;  they  never  sit 
down  to  hear  them.  They  do  not  receive  charity  for  masses, 
nor  beatas,  nor  demoniacs  in  their  church,  (I  never  saw  one 
there)  their  modesty  and  civil  manners  charm  every  one  that 
speaks  with  them;  though  I  believe,  all  that  is  to  carry  on  their 
private  end  and  interests.  They  are  indefatigable  in  the  pro- 
curing the  good  of  souls,  and  sending  missionaries  to  catechise 
the  children  in  the  country;  and  they  have  fit  persons  in  every 
college  for  all  sorts  of  exercises,  either  of  devotion,  of  law,  or 
policy,  &c.  They  entertain  nobody  withm  the  gate  of  the 
college,  so  nobody  knows  what  they  do  among  themselves. 
If  it  sometimes  happens  that  one  doth  not  answer  their  expect- 
ation, after  he  has  taken  the  habit,  they  turn  him  out;  for  they 
nave  fourteen  years  trial  but  as  soon  as  they  turn  him  out, 
•jiey  underhand  procure  a  handsome  settlement  for  him    so 


BIASTER  KEY   TO   POPERY.  65 

that  he  who  is  expelled  dares  not  say  any  thing  against  them, 
for  fear  of  losing  his  bread.  And  if,  after  he  is  out,  he  behaves 
himself  well,  and  gets  some  riches,  he  is  sure  to  die  a  Jesuit. 

I  heard  of  Don  Pedro  Segovia,  who  had  been  a  Jesuit,  but 
was  turned  out, but  by  the  Jesuits'  influence,  he  goi  a  prebenda- 
ry in  the  cathedral  church,  and  was  an  eminent  preacher.  He 
was  afterwards  constantly  visited  by  them,  and  when  he  came 
to  die,  he  asked  again  the  habit,  and  being  granted  to  him,  he 
died  a  Jesuit,  and  by  his  death  the  Jesuits  became  heirs  of 
twenty  thousand  pistoles  in  money  and  lands. 

There  are  confessors  of  kings  and  princes,  of  ministers  of 
state,  and  generals,  and  of  all  the  people  of  distinction  and 
estates.  So  it  is  no  wonder  if  they  are  masters  of  the  tenth 
part  of  the  riches  in  every  kingdom,  and  if  God  doth  not  pit 
a  stop  to  their  covetousness,  it  is  to  be  feared,  that  one  way  or 
other,  they  will  become  masters  of  all,  for  they  do  not  seek 
dignities,  being  prohibited  by  the  constitutions  of  their  order, 
to  be  bishops  and  popes ;  it  is  only  allowed  to  them  to  be  car- 
dinals, to  govern  the  pope  by  that  means,  as  well  as  to  rule 
emperors,  kings,  and  princes.  At  this  present  time  all  the 
sovereigns  of  Europe  have  Jesuits  for  their  confessors. 

Now  it  is  high  time  to  come  to  say  something  as  to  their 
practices  in  confessions ;  and  I  will  only  speak  of  those  I  knew 
particularly  well. 

First,  The  reverend  father  Navasques,  professor  of  divinity 
In  their  college,  was  chosen  confessor  of  the  countess  of  Fuen- 
tes,  who  was  left  a  widow  at  twenty-four  years  of  age.  This 
lady,  as  v>^ell  as  other  persons  of  quality,  kept  a  coach  and 
servant  for  the  father  confessor.  He  has  always  a  father 
companion  to  say  mass  to  the  lady.  She  allows  so  much  a 
year  to  the  college,  and  so  much  to  her  confessor  and  his  com- 
panion. All  persons  have  an  oratory  or  chapel  in  their 
houses,  by  dispensation  from  the  pope,  for  which  they  pay  a 
great  deal  of  money.  Their  way  of  living  is  thus,  in  the 
morning  they  send  the  coach  and  servant  to  the  college,  most 
commonly  at  eleven  of  the  clock :  the  fattier  goes  every  day  at 
that  time,  and  the  lords  and  ladies  do  not  confess  every  day; 
they  have  mass  said  at  home,  and  after  ma^s,  the  reverend 
stays  in  the  lady's  company  till  dinner-time,  then  he  goes  to 
the  college  till  six  in  the  evening,  and  at  six  goes  again  to  see 
the  lady  or  lord,  till  eleven.  What  are  their  discourses  I  do 
not  know.  This  I  know,  that  nothing  is,  done  in  ^  he  family 
without  the  reverend's  advice  and  approbation.     So  it  was 

r2 


66  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

with  the  countess'  family,  and  when  she  died,  the  college  go* 
four  thousand  pistoles  a  year  from  her. 

The  reverend  father  Muniessa,  confessor  of  the  duchess  of 
Villahermosa,  in  the  same  manner  got  at  her  death  thirty 
thousand  pistoles,  and  the  reverend  father  Aranda,  confessor 
to  the  countess  of  Aranda,  got  two  thousand  pistoles  yearly 
rent  from  her,  all  for  the  college.  Now  what  means  they  mako 
use  of  to  bewitch  the  people  and  to  suck  their  substance,  every 
body  may  think,  but  no  body  may  guess  at.  An  ingenious 
politician  was  asked  how  the  Jesuits  could  be  rightly  described 
and  defined,  and  he  gave  this  definition  of  them.  Amid 
frigidi,  and  inimici  calidi,  i.  e.  cold  friends  and  warm  ene- 
mies. And  this  is  all  I  can  write  concerning  their  manners 
and  practices. 

Before  I  dismiss  this  subject,  I  cannot  pass  by  one  instance 
more,  touching  the  practices  of  confessors  in  general,  and  that 
is,  that  since  I  came  to  these  northern  countries,  I  have  been 
told  by  gentlemen  of  good  sense,  and  serious  in  their  conversa- 
tion, tbat  many  priests  and  friars  were  procurers  (when  they 
were  in  those  parts  of  the  world)  and  shewed  them  the  way 
of  filling  into  the  common  sin.  It  is  no  doubt  they  know  all 
the  lewd  women  by  auricular  confession,  but  I  could  not  believe 
they  would  be  so  villanous  and  base,  as  to  make  a  show  of 
their  wickedness  before  strangers.  Tbis  I  must  say  in  vindi- 
cation of  a  great  many  of  them  (for  what  I  write  is  only  of  the 
wicked  ones,)  that  they  are  many  times  engaged  in  intrigues 
unknown  to  themselves,  and  they  are  not  to  be  blamed,  but 
only  the  persons  that  w^ith  false  insinuations,  make  them  be- 
lieve a  lie  for  a  truth,  and  this  under  a  pretence  of  devotion. 
To  clear  this  I  will  tell  a  story,  which  was  told  me  by  a  colonel 
in  the  English  service,  who  lives  at  present  in  London. 

He  said  to  me  that  an  ofiicer,  a  friend  of  his,  was  a  prisoner 
in  Spain:  his  lodgings  were  opposite  to  a  counsellor's  house. 
The  counsellor  was  old  and  jealous,  the  lady  young,  handsome, 
and  confined,  and  the  ofl^lcer  well  shaped  and  very  fair.  The 
windows  and  balconies  of  the  counsellor  were  covered  with 
narrow  lattices,  and  the  officer  never  saw  any  woman  of  that 
house.  But  the  lady,  who  had  several  times  seen  him  at  his 
window,  could  not  long  conceal  her  love;  so  she  sent  for  her 
father  confessor,  and  spoke  with  him  in  the  following  manner: 
My  reverend  father,  you  are  my  spiritual  guide,  and  you  must 
prevent  the  ruin  of  my  soul,  reputation,  and  quietness  of  my 
'ife.  Over  the  way,  said  she,  lives  an  English  ofiicer,  who  is 
constantly  nt  the  window,  making  signs  and  demonstrations  o{ 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  67 

love  to  mo,  and  though  I  endtjavor  not  to  haunt  my  balcony,  for 
fear  of  being  found  out  by  my  spouse ;  my  waiting  maid  tells 
me  that  he  is  always  there.  You  know  my  spouse's  temper 
and  jealousy,  and  if  he  observes  the  least  thing  in  the  world,  I 
am  undone  forever.  So  to  put  a  timely  stop  to  this,  I  wish  you 
would  be  so  kind  as  to  go  over  and  desire  him  to  make  no  more 
signs;  and  that  ii^  he  is  a  gentleman,  as  he  seems  to  be,  he  will 
never  do  any  thing  to  disquiet  a  gentlewoman.  The  credu- 
»ous  confessor,  beheving  every  syllable,  went  over  to  the  Eng- 
lish officer,  and  told  bun  the  message,  asking  his  pardon  for 
the  liberty  he  took;  but  that  he  could  not  help  it,  being  as  he 
was  the  lady's  confessor. 

The  officer,  who  was  of  a  very  fiery  temper,  answered  him 
in  a  resolute  manner.  Hear,  friar,  said  he  to  the  confessor, 
go  your  way,  and  never  come  to  me  with  such  false  stories, 
for  I  do  not  know  v/hat  you  say,  nor  I  never  saw  any  lady  over 
the  way.  The  poor  father,  full  of  shame  and  fear,  took  his 
leave,  and  went  to  deliver  the  answer  to  the  lady.  What,  said 
she,  doth  he  deny  tlie  truth?  I  hope  God  will  prove  my  inno- 
cence before  you,  and  that  before  two  days.  The  father  did 
comfort  her,  and  went  to  his  convent.  The  lady  seeing  her 
designs  frustrated  this  way,  did  contrive  another  to  let  the 
officer  know  her  inclination.  So  one  of  her  servants  wrote  a 
letter  to  her  in  the  officer's  name,  with  many  lovely  ex- 
pressions, and  desiring  her  to  be  in  her  garden  at  eight  in  the 
dark  evening,  under  a  figtree  next  to  the  walls.  And  recom- 
mending to  her  servant  the  secret,  sealed  the  letter  directed 
to  her.  Two  days  after,  she  sent  for  her  confessor  again,  and 
told  him.  Now  my  reverend  father,  God  has  put  a  letter,  from 
the  officer,  into  my  hands  to  convince  him  and  you  of  the  truth. 
Pray  take  the  letter  and  go  to  him,  and  if  he  denies,  as  he  did 
before,  show  him  his  own  letter,  and  I  hope  he  will  not  be  so 
bold  as  to  trouble  me  any  more.  He  did  accordingly,  and  the 
English  gentleman  answered  as  the  first  time;  and  as  he 
flew  into  a  passion,  the  father  told  him,  Sir,  see  this  letter,  and 
answer  me:  w-hich  the  officer  reading,  soon  understood  the 
meaning,  and  said.  Now,  my  good  father,  I  must  own  my  foi- 
iy,  for  I  cannot  deny  my  handwriting,  and  to  assure  you, 
and  the  lady,  that  I  shall  be  quite  a  differeni  man  for  the  fu- 
ture, prav  te^  her  that  I  will  obey  her  commands,  and  that  I 
will  never  do  any  thing  against  her  orders.  The  confessor, 
very  glad  of  so  unexpected  good  success,  as  he  thought,  gave 
the  answer  to  the'  lady,  adding  to  it.  Now,  madam,  you  may  be 
quiet,  and  without  any  fear,  for  he  will  obey   you.     Did  not  I 


G8  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

tell  you,  said  she,  that  he  could  not  deny  the  fact  of  the  letter 

So  the  confessor  went  home,  having  a  very  good  opinion  of  the 
lady,  and  the  English  officer  too,  who  did  not  fail  to  go  to  the 
rendezvous,  &lc. 

Every  serious,  religious  man,  will  rather  blame  the  wicked 
lady,  than  the  confessor:  for  the  poor  man,  though  he  was  a 
procurer  and  instrument  of  bringing  that  intrigue  to  an  effect, 
really  he  was  innocent  all  the  while;  and  how  could  he  sus- 
pect any  thing  of  wantonness  in  a  lady  so  devoutly  ai^'^cted 
and  so  watchful  of  the  ruin  of  her  soul,  honor,  and  quieiness 
of  her  life  ?  We  must  excuse  them  in  such  a  case  as  this  vvas, 
and  say.  That  many  and  many  confessors,  if  they  are  procur  ■ 
ers,  they  do  it  unknown  to  themselves,  and  out  of  pure  zeal 
for  the  good  of  the  souls,  or  to  prevent  many  disturbances  m  a 
family :  But  as  for  those  that,  out  of  wickedness,  busy  them- 
selves in  so  base  and  villanous  exercises,  1  say,  heaven  and 
earth  ought  to  rise  in  judgment  against  them.  They  do  de- 
serve to  be  punished  in  this  world,  that,  by  their  example,  the 
Game  exercise  might  be  prevented  in  others. 

I  have  given  an  account  of  some  private  confessions  of 
both  sexes,  and  of  the  most  secret  practices  of  some  of  the 
Roman-Catholic  priests,  according  to  what  I  promised  the  pub- 
lic in  my  printed  proposals.  And  from  all  that  is  vvritten  and 
said,  I  crave  leave  to  draw  some  few  inferences. 

First,  I  say,  that  the  pope  and  councils  are  the  original 
causes  of  the  aforesaid  misdoings  and  ill  practices  of  the 
Komish  priests.  Marriage  being  forbidden  to  a  priest,  not  by 
any  commandment  of  God  or  divine  scripture,  but  by  a  strict 
ordinance  from  the  pope,  an  indisputable  canon  of  the  council. 
This  was  not  practised  by  them  for  many  centuries  after  the 
death  of  our  saviour;  and  the  priests  were  then  more  reli- 
gious and  exemplary  than  they  are  now.  I  know  the  reasons 
their  church  has  for  it,  which  I  will  not  contradict,  to  avoid  all 
sort  of  controversy :  But  this  I  may  say,  that  if  the  priests, 
friars  and  nuns  were  at  lawful  liberty  to  marry,  they  would 
be  better  Christians,  the  people  richer  in  honor  and  estates, 
the  kingdom  better  peopled,  the  king  stronger,  and  the  Romish 
religion  more  free  from  foreign  attempts  and  calumnies. 

They  do  make  a  vow  of  chastity,  and  they  break  it  by 
living  loose,  lewd,  and  irregular  lives.  They  do  vow  pc-srty, 
and  their  thirst  for  riches  is  unquenchable ;  and  whatever  they 
get,  is  most  commonly  by  unlav/ful  means.  They  swear 
obedience,  and  they  only  obey  their  lusts,  passions  and  in- 
clination.    How  many  sins  arc  occasioned  by  binding  them* 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POrERY.  69 

selves  with  these  three  vows  in  a  monastical  life,  it  is  inex- 
pressible :  And  all,  or  the  greater  number  of  sms  committed 
by  them,  would  be  hnidcred,  if  the  pope  and  council  were  to 
imitate  the  right  foundations  of  the  primitive  churchj  and  the 
apostles  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 

As  to  particular  persons,  among  the  priests  and  friars, 
touching  their  corruptions  and  ill  practices  in  auricular  con- 
fession, I  say,  they  do  act  against  divine  and  human  law  in 
such  practice,  and  are  guilty  of  several  sins,  especially  sacri- 
lege and  robbery.  It  is  true,  the  Moral  Summs  are  defec- 
tive in  the  instruction  of  confessors,  as  opinions,  grounded  in 
the  erroneous  principles  of  their  church :  But  as  to  the  settled 
rules  for  the  guiding  and  advising  the  penitent,  what  he  ought 
to  do,  to  walk  uprightly,  they  are  not  defective;  so  the  con- 
fessors cannot  plead  ignorance  for  so  doing,  and  consequently 
the  means  they  make  use  of  in  the  tribunal  of  conscience, 
are  all  sinful,  being  only  to  deceive  and  cheat  the  poor,  ignor- 
ant people. 

Their  practices  then,  are  against  divine  and  human  law, 
contrary  to  the  holy  scriptures,  nay,  to  humanity  itself.'  For, 
Thou  that  teachest  another,  thou  shalt  not  Jiill,  nor  commit  adul- 
tery, nor  steal,  nor  covet  thy  neighbor''s  goods,  nor  icife:  Dost 
thou  all  those  things?  And  to  insist  only  on  ^rtcn'Zf^e  and 
robbery.  What  can  it  be  but  robbery,  and  sacrilege,  to  sell 
absolution,  or,  which  is  the  same  thing,  to  refuse  it  to  the  pen- 
itent, if  he  does  not  give  so  much  money  fjr  masses  ? 

This  may  be  cleared  by  their  own  principles,  and  by  the 
opinions  of  their  casuistical  authors,  who  agree  in  this,  viz.  : 
That  there  are  three  sorts  of  sacrilege,  or  a  sacrilege  which 
may  be  committed  three  different  ways.  These  are  the  ex- 
pressions they  make  use  of:  Sacrum  in  sacro:  Sacrum  ex 
sacro:  Sacrum  pro  sacro.  That  is,  to  take  a  sacred  thing  for 
a  sacred  thing,  a  sacred  thing  in  a  sacred  place ;  and  a  sacred 
thing  out  of  a  sacred  place.  All  these  are  robbery  and  sacri- 
lege together,  according  to  their  opinions ;  and  I  said  that  the 
confessors  in  their  practices  are  guilty  of  all  three ;  for  in  their 
opmion,  the  holy  tribunal  of  conscience  is  a  sacred  thint>-; 
the  absolution  and  consecrated  church  are  sacred  likewise. 
As  for  the  money  given  for  the  relief  of  the  souls  in  purgato- 
ry, Corolla,  in  his  Moral  Sum,  says,  that  that  is  a  sacred 
thing  too.  Now  it  is  certain  among  them,  that  no  priest  can 
receive  money  for  absolution,  directly  nor  indirectly.  Those 
then  that  take  it,  rob  that  money  which  is  unlawfully  taken 
from  the  penitent;  and  it  is  a  sacrilege  too,  because  they  take 


YO  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

a  sacred  thing  for  a  sacred  thing,  viz.:  the  sacred  money  (bt 
masses  taken  for  absolution.  They  take  that  sacred  thing 
in  a  sacred  place,  viz. :  in  the  sacred  tribunal  of  conscience : 
and  they  take  a  sacred  thing  out  of  a  sacred  place,  viz. :  the 
church. 

Again:  Though  most  commonly,  Quodcumque  ligaveris 
super  terram;  erit  ligatum  et  in  ccelis,  is  understood  by  them 
literacy,  and  the  pope  usurps  the  power  of  absolving  men 
\vii.h.:ut  contrition,  provided  they  have  attrition,  or  only  con- 
fession by  mouth,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  following  chapter  of 
the  pope's  bull.  Nevertheless  the  casuists,  when  they  come 
to  treat  of  a  perfect  confession  under  the  sacrament  of  pen- 
ance, they  unanimously  say,  that  three  things  are  absolutely 
necessary  to  a  perfect  confession,  and  to  salvation  too,  viz. : 
Oris  confessio,  cordis  contritio,  and  operis  satisf actio.  Though 
at  the  same  time  they  say,  except  in  case  of  pontifical  dispen- 
sation with  faculties,  privileges,  indulgences,  and  pardon  of 
all  sins  committed  by  a  man  :  But  though  they  except  this 
case,  I  am  sure  they  do  it  out  of  obedience,  and  flattery, 
rather  than  their  own  belief.  If  they  then  believe,  that  with 
out  contrition  of  heart,  the  absolution  is  of  no  effect,  why  d< 
they  persuade  the  contrary  to  the  penitent?  Why  do  thev 
take  money  for  absolution?  It  is,  then,  a  cheat,  robbery,  and 
sacrilege. 

Secondly.  I  say,  that  the  confessors  [generally  speaking] 
are  the  occasion  of  the  ruin  of  many  families,  of  many  thefts, 
debaucheries,  murders,  and  divisions  among  several  families 
[for  which  they  must  answer  before  that  dreadful  tribunal  ot 
God,  when  and  where  all  the  secret  practices  and  wickedness 
shall  be  disclosed] ;  add  to  this,  that  by  auricular  confession, 
they  are  acquainted  with  the  tempers  and  inclinations  of  peo- 
ple, which  contribute  very  much  to  heap  up  riches,  and  to  make 
themselves  commanding  masters  of  all  sorts  of  persons;  for 
when  a  confessor  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  a  man's  tem- 
per and  natural  inclinations,  it  is  the  most  easy  thing  in  the 
world  to  bring  him  to  his  own  opinion,  and  to  be  master  over 
nim  and  his  substance. 

That  the  confessors,  commonly  speaking,  are  the  occasion 
of  all  the  aforesaid  mischiefs,  will  appear  by  the  foHowing 
observations  : 

First,  They  get  the  best  estates  from  the  rich  people,  for 
the  use  and  benefit  of  their  communities,  by  which  many  ana 
many  private  persons,  and  v/hole  familes,  are  reduced  and 
ruined      Observe  now   their  practices  as  to  the  sick.     If  a 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  71 

nobleman  of  a  good  estate  be  very  ill,  the  confessor  must  be 
by  him  night  and  day ;  and  when  he  goes  to  sleep,  his  com- 
panion supplies  his  place,  to  direct,  and  exhort  the  sick  to  die 
as  a  good  christian,  and  to  advise  him  how  to  make  lus  last 
will  and  testamen*.  If  the  confessor  is  a  down-right  honest 
man,  he  must  betray  his  principles  of  honesty,  or  disoblio-e 
lis  superior,  and  all  the  community,  by  getting  nothing  from 
the  sick;  so  he  chargeth  upon  the  poor  man's  conscience,  to 
leave  his  convent  thousands  of  masses,  for  the  speedy  delivery 
of  his  soul  out  of  purgatory;  and1)esides  that,  to  settle  a  yearly 
mass  forever  upon  the  convent,  and  to  leave  a  voluntary  gift, 
that  the  friars  may  remember  him  in  their  public  and  private 
prayers,  as  a  benefjictor  of  that  community:  And  in  these  and 
other  legacies  and  charities,  three  parts  of  his  estate  go  to 
the  church,  or  convents.  But  if  the  confessor  have  a  large 
conscience,  then  without  any  christian  consideration  for  the 
sick  man's  family  and  poor  relations,  he  makes  use  o+'  all  the 
means  an  inhuman,  covetous  man  can  invent,  to  get  the  v.  hole 
estate  for  his  convent.  And  this  is  the  reason  why  they  are 
so  rich,  and  so  many  families  so  poor,  reduced,  and  ruined. 

From  these  we  may  infer  thefts,  murders,  debaucheries, 
and  divisions  of  families.  I  say,  the  confessors  are  the  ori- 
ginal causes  of  all  these  ill  consequences;  f  jr  when  they  take 
the  best  of  estates  for  themselves,  no  wonder  if  private  per- 
sons and  whole  families  are  left  in  such  want,  and  necessity, 
that  they  abandon  themselves  to  all  sorts  of  sins,  and  hazards 
of  losing  both  lives  and  honors,  rather  than  to  abate  something 
of  their  pride. 

I  might  prove  this  by  several  instances,  which  I  do  not 
question,  are  very  well  known  by  several  curious  people:  and 
though  some  malicious  persons  are  apt  to  suspect  that  such 
instances  are  mere  dreams,  or  forgeries  of  envious  people ;  for 
my  part  I  believe,  that  many  confessors  are  the  original  cause 
of  the  aforesaid  evils,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  following  matter 
of  fact: 

In  the  account  of  the  Jesuits  and  their  practices,  I  said  tlsat 
the  reverend  Navasques  was  the  confessor  of  the  countess  of 
Fuentes,  who  was  left  a  widow  at  twenty-  four  years  of  age, 
and  never  married  agam :  for  the  reverend's  care  is  to  advise 
them  to  live  a  single  life.  (Purity  being  the  first  step  to 
heaven.)  The  lady  countess  had  no  children,  and  had  an 
estate  of  her  own,  of  4000  pistoles  a  year,  besides  her  jewels 
and  household  goods,  which,  after  her  death,  were  valued  at 
15,000  pistoles.     All  these  things  and  her  personal   estate^ 


'?2  ftiASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

were  left  to  the  Jesuits'  college,  though  she  had  many  near  re- 
lations, among  whom  I  knew  two  young  gentlemen,  second 
cousins  of  her  ladyship,  and  two  young  ladies  kept  in  the 
house  aS  ner  cousins  too.  She  had  promised  to  give  them  a 
settlement  suitable  to  their  quality  and  merits:  which  promise 
the  father  confessor  confirmed  to  them  several  times.  But  the 
lady  died,  and  both  the  young  ladies  and  the  two  gentlemen 
were  left  under  the  providence  of  God,  for  the  countess  had 
forgotten  them  in  her  last  will ;  and  the  father  confessor  took 
no  notice  of  them  afterward.  The  two  young  ladies  abandon- 
ed themselves  to  all  manner  of  private  pleasures  at  first,  and 
at  last  to  public  wickedness.  As  to  the  young  gentlemen,  in 
a  few  months  after  the  lady's  death,  one  left  the  city  and  went 
to  serve  the  king,  as  a  cadet:  the  other  following  a  licentious 
life,  was  ready  to  finish  his  days  with  shame  and  dishonor 
upon  a  public  scaffold,  had  not  the  goodness  and  compassion 
of  the  marquis  of  Camarrassa,  then  vice-roy  of  Aragon,  pre- 
vented It.  Now,  whether  the  father  confessor  shall  be  an- 
swerable before  God,  for  all  the  sins  committed  by  the  young 
iadies,  and  one  of  the  gentlemen,  for  want  of  what  they  ex- 
pected from  the  countess,  or  not?  God  only  knows.  We  may 
think  and  believe,  that  if  the  lady  had  provided  for  them  ac- 
cording to  their  condition  in  the  world,  in  all  human  probabil- 
ity they  had  not  committed  such  sins.  Or  if  the  college,  or 
the  reverend  father  had  been  more  charitable,  and  compas- 
sionate to  the  condition  they  were  left  in,  they  had  put  a  time- 
ly stop  to  their  wickedness. 

Thirdly.  I  say  that  confessors  and  preachers  are  the  occa- 
sion, that  many  thousands  of  young  men  and  women  choose  a 
siiigle,  retired  life,  in  a  monastery  or  convent;  and  therefore 
are  the  cause  of  many  famihcs  being  extinguished,  and  their 
own  treasure  exceedingly  increased. 

If  a  gentleman  have  two  or  three  sons,  and  as  many  daugh- 
ters, the  confessor  of  the  family  adviseth  tire  father  to  keep  the 
eldest  son  at  home,  and  send  the  rest,  both  sons  and  daughters, 
into  a  convent  or  monastery;  praising  the  monastical  life,  and 
saying,  that  to  be  retired  from  the  world,  is  the  safest  way  to 
heaven.  There  is  a  proverb  which  runs  thus  in  English :  It 
is  better  to  he  alone,  than  in  had  company.  And  the  confessors 
alter  it  thus :  It  is  better  to  he  alone,  than  in  good  company, 
which  they  pretend  to  prove  with  so  many  sophistical  argu- 
ments, nay,  with  a  passage  from  the  scripture ;  and  this  not 
only  in  private  conversation,  but  publicly  in  the  pulpit.  I  re- 
member, I  heard  my  celebrated  Mr.  F.  James  Garcia  preach 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  73 

a  sermon  upon  the  subject  of  a  retired  life  and  isUtiidc,  which, 
sermon  and  others  preached  by  him  in  Lent,  in  the  cathedral 
church  of  St.  Salvator,  were  printed  afterwards.  The  book 
is  in  folio,  and  its  title  Quadragesima  de  Gracia.  He  was  the 
first  preacher  I  heard  make  use  of  the  above  proverb,  and  alter 
it  in  the  aforesaid  way  ;  and  to  prove  the  sense  of  his  altera- 
tion he  said  :  Remember  the  woma^i  in  the  apocalypsis  that  ran 
from  heaven  into  the  desert.  What !  was  not  that  woman  in 
heaven,  in  the  company  of  the  stars  and  planets,  by  which  are 
represented  all  the  heavenly  spirits  ?  Why,  then,  quits  she  that 
good  company,  and  chooses  to  be  alone  in  a  desert  place? 
Because,  said  he,  that  woman  is  the  holy  soul,  and  for  a  soul 
that  desinUh  to  be  holy,  it  is  better  to  be  alone  than  in  good 
company.  In  the  desert,  in  the  convent,  in  the  monastery, 
the  soul  is  safe,  free  from  sundry  temptations  of  the  world  ;  and 
so  it  belongs  to  a  Christian  soul,  not  only  to  run  from  bad 
company,  but  to  quit  the  best  company  in  the  world  and  retire 
into  the  desert  of  a  convent,  or  monastery,  if  that  sou]  desire 
to  be  holy  and  pure ;  this  was  his  proof,  and  if  he  had  not  been 
my  master,  I  would  have  been  bold  to  make  some  reflections 
upon  it.  But  the  respect  of  a  disciple,  beloved  by  him,  is 
enough  to  make  me  silent,  and  leave  to  the  reader  the  satis- 
faction of  reflecting  in  his  own  way,  to  which  I  heartilv 
submit. 

These,  I  say,  are  the  advices  the  confessors  give  to  the 
fiithers  of  families,  who,  glad  of  lessening  the  expenses  of  the 
house,  and  of  seeing  their  children  provided  for,  send  them 
into  the  desert  place  of  a  convent,  which  is  really  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  world.  Now  observe,  that  it  is  twenty  to  one,  that 
their  heir  dies  before  he  marries  and  has  children  :  so  the  es- 
tate and  everything  else  falls  to  the  second,  who  is  a  professed 
friar  or  ndn,  and  as  they  cannot  use  the  expression  of  meurn 
or  tuum,  all  goes  that  way  to  the  community.  And  this  is  the 
reason  why  many  families  are  extinguished,  and  their  names 
quite  out  of  memory ;  the  convent  so  crowded,  the  kingdom 
so  thin  of  people  ;  and  the  friars,  nuns,  and  monasteries  so 
rich. 

Fourthly.  I  say  that  the  confessors,  priests,  and  especially 
friars,  make  good  this  saying  among  the  common  people  : 
Frayle  o  fraude  es  todo  uno :  i.  e.,  friar  or  fraud  is  the  same 
thing ;  for  they  not  only  defraud  whole  families,  but  make  use 
of  barbarous,  inhuman  means  to  get  the  estates  of  maiiy  rich 
persons. 

The  Marquis  of  Arino  had  one  only  daughter,  and  hif  ?ec- 
G 


^74  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

ond  brother  was  an  Augustan  friar,  under  whose  c.tre  tL 
marquis  left  his  daughter  when  he  died.  She  was  fifteen  yeai 
of  age,  ■  »ch  and  handsome.  Her  uncle  and  executor  was  at 
that  time  doctor  and  professor  of  divinity  in  the  university, 
and  prior  of  the  convent,  and  could  not  personally  take  care 
of  his  niece  and  her  family ;  so  he  desired  one  of  her  aunts  to 
go  and  live  with  her,  and  sent  another  friar  to  be  like  a  stew 
ard  and  overseer  of  the  house.  The  uncle  was  a  good,  honest 
man  and  mighty  religious.  He  minded  more  his  office  of  prior, 
his  study  and  exercise  of  devotion,  than  the  riches,  pomp, 
mao-nificence,  and  vanity  of  the  world ;  so,  seeing  that  the 
discharge  of  his  duty  and  that  of  an  executor  of  his  niece  were 
inconsistent  together,  he  did  resolve  to  marry  her ;  which  he 
did  to  the  baron  Suelves,  a  young,  handsome,  healthy,  rich 
gentleman  ;  but  he  died  seven  months  after  his  marriage,  so 
the  good  uncle  was  again  at  the  same  trouble  and  care  of  his 
niece,  who  was  left  a  widow,  but  without  children.  After  the 
year  of  her  mourning  was  expired,  she  was  married  to  the 
great  president  of  the  council,  who  was  afterwards  great 
chancellor  of  the  kingdom,  but  he  died,  leaving  no  children. 
The  first  and  second  husband  left  all  their  estates  to  her ;  and 
she  was  reckoned  to  have  eighty  thousand  pistoles  in  yearly 
rent  and  goods.  A  year  after,  Don  Pedro  Carillo,  brigadier- 
general,  and  general  governor  of  the  kingdom,  married  her, 
but  has  no  children  by  her.  I  left  both  the  governor  and  the 
lady  alive,  when  I  quitted  the  country.  .  Now  I  come  to  the 
point.  It  was  specified  in  all  the  matches  between  the  gen- 
tlemen and  the  lady,  that  if  they  had  no  issue  by  her,  all  the 
estate  and  goods  should  fall  to  the  uncle  as  a  second  brother 
of  her  father ;  and  so  ex  necessitate  the  convent  should  be  for 
ever  the  only  enjoyer  of  it.  It  was  found  out,  but  too  late, 
that  the  friar  steward,  before  she  first  married,  had  given  her 
a  dose  to  make  her  a  barren  woman  ;  and  though  nobody  did 
believe  that  the  uncle  had  any. hand  in  it,  (so  great  an  opin- 
ion the  world  and  the  lady's  husband  had  of  him,)  everybody 
did  suspect  at  first  the  friar  steward,  and  so  it  was  confirmed 
at  last  by  his  own  confession  ;  for,  being  at  the  point  of 
death,  he  owned  the  fact  publicly  and  his  design  in  it. 

Another  instance.  A  lady  of  the  first  rank,  of  eighteen 
years  of  age,  the  only  heiress  of  a  considerable  estate,  was 
kept  by  her  parents  at  a  distance  from  all  sorts  of  company, 
except  only  that  of  the  confessor  of  the  family,  who  was  i  learn- 
ed and  devout  man  :  but  as  these  reverends  have  always  a 
father  companion  to  assist  them  at  home  and  abroad,  many 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  75 

tiiT.es  the  mischief  is  contrived  and  effected  unknown  to  the 
confessor,  by  his  wicked  companion  ;  so  it  happened  in  this 
instance.  The  fame  of  the  wonderful  beauty  of  this  young 
lady  was  spread  so  far  abroad,  that  the  king  and  queen  being 
in  the  city  for  eight  months  together,  and  not  seeing  the  cele- 
brated beauty  at  their  court,  her  majesty  asked  her  father  one 
day,  whether  he  had  any  children  ?  And  when  he  answered, 
that  he  had  only  one  daughter,  he  was  desired  by  the  queen 
to  bring  her  along  with  him  to  court  the  next  day,  for  she  had 
a  great  desire  to  see  her  beauty  so  much  admired  at  home  and 
abroad.  The  father  could  not  refuse  it,  and  so  the  next  day 
the  lady  did  appear  at  court,  and  was  so  much  admired  that  a 
grandee  (who  had  then  the  command  of  the  army,  though  not 
of  his  own  passions)  said,  this  is  the  first  time  I  see  the  sun 
among  the  stars.  The  grandee  began  to  covet  that  inestima- 
ble jewel,  and  his  heart  burning  in  the  agreeable  flame  of  her 
eyes,  he  went  to  see  her  father,  but  could  not  see  the  daugh- 
ter. At  last,  all  his  endeavors  being  in  vain,  for  he  was  mar- 
ried, he  sent  for  the  confessor's  companion,  whose  interest  and 
mediation  he  got  by  money  and  fair  promises  of  raising  him 
to  an  ecclesiastical  dignity  ;  so,  by  that  means,  he  sent  a  letter 
to  the  lady,  who  read  it,  and  in  a  very  few  days  he  got  her  con- 
sent to  disguise  himself  and  come  to  see  her  along  with  the 
father  companion  ;  so  one  evening  in  the  dark,  putting  on  a 
friar's  habit,  he  went  to  her  chamber,  where  he  was  always  in 
company  with  the  companion  friar,  who  by  crafty  persuasions 
made  the  lady  understand,  that  if  she  did  not  consent  to  every- 
thing that  the  grandee  should  desire,  her  life  and  reputation 
were  lost,  &c.  In  the  same  disguise  they  saw  one  another 
several  times,  to  the  grandee's  satisfaction,  and  her  grief  and 
vexation. 

But  the  court  being  gone,  the  young  lady  began  to  suspect 
some  public  proof  of  her  intrigue,  till  then  secret,  and  con- 
sulting the  father  companion  upon  it,  he  did  what  he  could  to 
prevent  it,  but  in  vain.  The  misfortune  was  suspected,  and 
owned  by  her  to  her  parents.  The  father  died  of  very  grief 
in  eight  days'  time  ;  and  the  mother  went  into  the  country  with 
her  daughter,  till  she  was  free  from  her  disease,  and,  after- 
wards, both  ladies,  mother  and  daughter,  retired  into  a  monas- 
tery, where  I  knew  and  conversed  several  times  with  them. 
The  gentleman  had  made  his  will  long  before,  by  which  the 
convent  was  to  get  the  estate  in  case  the  lady  should  die  with- 
out children ;  and  as  she  had  taken  the  habit  of  a  nun,  and  pro- 
fessed the  vows  of  religion,  the  prior  was  so  ambitious  that  he 

I 


76  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

asked  the  esta'o,  alleging,  that  she,  being  a  professed  n  ill. 
could  have  no  c  Kildren  ;  to  which  the  lady  replied,  that  she 
was  obliged  to  obey  her  father's  will,  by  which  she  was  mis 
tress  of  the  estate  during  her  life  ;  adding,  that  it  was  bettei 
for  the  father  prior  not  to  insist  on  his  demand  ;  for  she  was 
ruined  iu  her  reputation  by  the  wickedness  of  one  of  his  friars, 
and  thai  she,  if  pressed,  would  show  her  own  child,  who  was 
the  only  heir  of  her  father's  estate.  But  the  prior,  deaf  to 
her  threatenings,  did  carry  on  his  pretensions,  and,  by  an 
agreement,  (not  to  make  the  thing  more  public  than  it  was, 
for  very  few  knew  the  true  story,)  the  prior  got  the  estate, 
obliging  the  convent  to  give  the  lady  and  her  mother,  during 
their  lives,  400  pistoles  every  year,  the  whole  estate  being 
5000  yearly  rent. 

I  could  give  several  more  instances  of  this  nature  to  con- 
vince that  the  confessors,  priests,  and  friars  are  the  fundamen- 
tal original  cause  of  almost  all  the  misdoings  and  mischiefs 
that' happen  in  the  families.  By  the  instances  already  given 
every  body  may  easily  know  the  secret  practices  of  some  of 
the  llomish  priests,  which  are  an  abomination  to  the  Lord,  es- 
pecially in  the  holy  tribunal  of  confession.  So  I  may  conclude 
and  dismiss  this  first  chapter,  saying,  that  the  confession  is 
the  mint  of  friars  and  priests,  the  sins  of  the  penitent  the 
metals,  the  absolution  the  coin  of  money,  and  the  confessors 
the  keepers  of  it.  Now  the  reader  may  draw  from  these  ac- 
counts as  many  inferences  as  he  pleases,  till,  God  willing,  1 
furnish  him  with  new  arguments,  and  mstances,  of  their  e"=^il 
practices  in  the  second  part  of  this  woik. 


PAKT  II 


Ibis  is  a  true  copy  of  the  Pope's  Bull  out  of  Spanish,  in  the  tianslaiioa  of 
which  into  English,  I  am  tied  up  to  the  letter,  almost  word  for  word,  and 
this  is  to  prevent  (as  to  this  point)  all  calumny  and  objection,  which  may 
be  made  against  it,  by  some  critic  among  the  Roman-Catholics. 

MDCCXVIII. 

Bull  of  the  holy  crusade,  granted  by  the  holiness  of  our 
most  holy  father  Clement,  the  Xlth,  to  the  kingdoms  of  Spain, 
and  the  isles  to  them  pertaining,  in  favor  of  all  them,  that 
should  help  and  serve  the  king  Dn.  Philip  V.  our  lord,  in  the 
war  and  expenses  of  it,  which  he  doth  make  against  the  ene- 
mies of" our  catholic  faith,  with  great  indulgences  and  pardons, 
for  the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighteen. 

The  prophet  Joel,  sorry  for  the  damages  which  the  sons  of 
Israel  did  endure  by  the  invasion  of  the  Chaldean  armies, 
(zealous  for  and  desirous  of  their  defence,  after  having  recom- 
mended to  them  the  observance  of  the  law)  calling  the  sol- 
diers to  the  war,  saith  :  That  he  saw,  for  the  comfort  of  all,  a 
mystical  spring  come  out  from  God  and  his  house,  which  did 
water  and  wash  away  the  sins  of  that  people.     Chap.  3,  v.  IS. 

Seeing  then  our  most  holy  father,  Clement  XI,  (who  at  this 
day  doth  rule  and  govern  the  holy  apostolical  see)  for  the 
zeal  of  the  catholic  king  of  the  Spains,  Dn.  Philip,  the  Vth,  for 
the  defence  of  our  holy  faith,  and  for  that  purpose  gathereth 
together,  and  maintaineth  his  armies  against  all  the  enemies 
of  Christianity,  to  help  him  in  his  holy  enterprise,  doth  grant 
him  this  bull,  by  which  his  holiness  openeth  the  springs  of  the 
blood  of  Christ,  and  the  treasure  of  his  inestimable  merits ; 
and  with  it  encourageth  all  the  christians  to  the  assistance  of 
this  undertaking.  For  this  purpose,  and  that  they  might  enjoy 
this  benefit,  he  orders  to  be  published  the  following  indulgen- 
ces, graces,  and  faculties,  or  privileges. 

1.  His  holiness  doth  grant  to  all  the  true  christians  of  the 
said  kingdoms  and  dominions,  dwellers,  and  settled,  and  inhab- 
itants in  them,  and  to  all  comers  to  them,  or  should  De-found  in 
them ;  who,  moved  with  the  zeal  of  promoting  the  .loly  catho- 
ac  faith,  should  go  personally,  and  upon  their  own  expense.?, 
g2  77 


78  MASTEH-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

to  the  war  in  the  army,  and  with  the  forces  which  his  majes"-) 
sendeth,  for  the  time  of  one  year,  to  fight  against  the  Turks, 
and  other  infidels,  or  to  do  any  other  service,  as  to  help  per- 
sonally in  the  same  army,  continuing  in  it  the  whole  year.  To 
all  these  his  holiness  doth  grant  a  free  and  full  indulgence, 
and  pardon  of  all  their  sins,  (if  they  have  a  perfect  contrition, 
or,  if  they  confess  them  by  mouth,  and  if  they  cannot,  if  they 
have  a  hearty  desire  of  it)  which  hath  been  used  to  be  grant- 
ed to  them  that  go  to  the  conquest  of  the  holy  lapd,  and  in 
the  year  of  Jubilee :  and  declares  that  all  they  mat  should 
die  before  the  end  of  the  expedition,  or  in  the  way,  as  they 
are  going  to  the  army  before  the  expedition,  should  likewise 
enjoy  and  obtain  the  said  pardon  and  indulgence. 

He  granteth  also  the  same  to  them,  who,  (though  they  do 
not  go  personally)  should  send  another  upon  their  own  expen- 
ses in  this  manner,  viz. :  If  he  that  sends  another  is  a  cardi- 
nal, primate,  patriarch,  arch-bishop,  bishop,  son  of  a  king, 
prince,  duke,  marquis,  or  earl,  then  he  must  send  as  many  as 
he  can  possibly  send,  till  ten  ;  and  if  he  cannot  send  ten,  he 
must  send  at  least  four  soldiers.  All  other  persons,  t)f  what 
condition  soever  they  may  be,  must  send  one ;  in  such  a  case, 
two,  or  three,  or  four,  may  join  and  contribute,  every  one  ac- 
cording to  his  abilities,  and  send  one  soldier. 

2.  Item.  The  chapters,  ^  all  churches,  monasteries  of  fri- 
ars and  nuns,  without  excepting  mendicant  orders,  if  ten,  with 
the  consent  of  the  chapter  or  community,  do  join  to  send  one 
soldier,  they  do  enjoy  the  said  indulgence ;  and  not  they  only, 
but  the  person  too,  sent  by  them,  if  he  be  poor. 

3.  Item.  The  secular  priests,  who,  with  the  consent  of 
their  diocesan,  and  the  friars  of  their  superiors,  should  preach 
the  word  of  God  in  the  said  army,  or  should  perform  any  other 
ecclesiastical  and  pious  office  (which  is  declared  to  be  lawful 
for  them,  without  incurring  irregularity)  are  empowered  to 
serve  their  benefices,  by  meet  and  fit  tenants,  having  not  the 
cure  of  souls;  for  if  they  have,  they  cannot  without  his  holi- 
ness' consent.  And  it  is  declared,  that  the  soldiers  employed 
in  this  war  are  not  obliged  to  fast  the  days  appointed  and  com- 
manded by  the  church,  and  which  they  should  be  obliged  to 
fast  on,  if  they  were  not  in  the  war. 

4.  Item.  His  holiness  grants  (not  only  to  the  soldiers,  but 
to  all  them  too,  who,  though  they  should  not  go,  should  en- 
courage this  holy  work  with  the  charity  undermentioned)  all 
the  indulgences,  graces,  and  privileges  in  this  bull  contained, 
and  this  for  a  whole  year,  reckoning  from  the  publishing  of  it 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  79 

m  dU)  place  whatsoever,  viz. :  that  (yet,  in  the  time  of  apos- 
tolical, or  ordinary  interdictum,  L  e.,  suspension  of  all  ecclesias- 
tical and  divine  service)  they  may  hear  mass  either  in  the 
churches  and  monasteries,  or  in  the  private  oratories  marked 
and  visited  by  the  diocesan  ;  and,  if  they  were  priests,  to  say 
mass  and  other  divine  offices ;  or,  if  they  were  not,  to  make 
others  to  celebrate  mass  before  them,  their  familiar  friends 
and  relations,  to  receive  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  sup- 
per and  the  other  sacraments,  except  on  Easter  Sunday,  provi- 
ded that  they  have  not  given  occasion  for  the  said  interdictum, 
nor  hindered  the  taking  of  it :  Provided,  likewise,  that  every 
time  they  make  use  of  such  oratory,  they  should,  according  to 
their  devotion,  pray  for  union  and  concord  among  all  Chris- 
tian princes,  the  rooting  out  of  heresies,  and  victory  over  the 
infidels. 

5.  Item.  His  holiness  granteth,  that  in  time  of  interdictum, 
^Jieir  corpse  may  be  buried  in  sacred  ground,  with  a  moderate 
funeral  pomp. 

6.  Item.  He  grants  to  all,  that  should  take  this  bull,  that 
Quring  the  year,  by  the  counsel  of  both  spiritual  and  corporal 
physicians,  they  may  eat  flesh  in  Lent,  and  several  other  days 
in  which  it  is  prohibited  :  And  likewise,  that  they  may  freely 
eat  eggs  and  things  with  milk  ;  and  that  all  these,  who  should 
eat  no  flesh,  (keeping  the  form  of  the  ecclesiastical  fast,)  do 
fulfil  the  precept  of  fasting:  And  in  this  privilege  of  eating 
eggs,  (fee,  are  not  comprised  the  *patriarchs,  primates,  arch- 
bishops, bishops,  nor  other  inferior  prelates,  nor  any  person 
whatsoever  of  the  regulars,  nor  of  the  secular  priests,  (the 
days  only  of  Lent,)  notwithstanding  from  the  mentioned  per- 
sons, we  except  all  those  that  are  sixty  years  of  age,  and  all 
the  knights  of  the  military  orders,  who  freely  may  eat  eggs, 
&c.,  and  enjoy  the  said  privilege. 

7.  Ite??i.  The  abovenamed,  that  should  not  go,  nor  send  any 
soldier  to  this  holy  war,  out  of  their  own  substance,  (if  they 
should  help  to  it,  keeping  a  fast  for  devotion's  sake,  in  some 
days,  which  are  of  no  precept,  and  praying  and  imploring  the 
help  of  God,  for  the  victory  against  the  infidels,  and  his  grace, 
for  the  union  among  the  Christian  princes,)  as  many  times  as 
they  should  do  it  during  the  year,  so  many  times  it  is  grantea 
them,  and  graciously  forgiven  fifteen  years,  and  fifteen  qua?'- 
antains  of  pardon,  and  all  the  penances  imposed  on  them,  and 
in  whatever  manner  due  ;  also  that  they  be  partakers  of  all 
the  prayers,  alms  and   pilgrimages  of  Jerusalem,  and  all   tlic 


80  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

good  \Torks  which  should  be  done  in  the  universal  militant 
church,  and  in  each  of  its  members. 

8.  Item.  To  all  those,  who,  in  the  days  of  Lent  and  other 
days  of  the  year,  in  which^-  estations  are  at  Rome,  should  visit 
five  churches,  or  fiv^e  altars,  and  if  there  is  not  five  churches, 
or  five  altars,  five  times  should  visit  one  church,  or  one  altar, 
praying  for  the  victory  and  union  above  mentioned,  his  holi- 
ness granteth  that  they  should  enjoy  and  obtain  the  indulgen- 
ces and  pardons,  which  all  those  do  enjoy  and  obtain,  that 
personally  visit  the  churches  of  the  city  of  Rome,  and  without 
the  walls  of  it,  as  well  as  if  they  did  visit  personally  the  said 
churches. 

9.  Itejn.  To  the  intent,  that  the  same  persons  with  more 
purity,  and  cleanness  of  their  consciences,  might  pray,  his 
holiness  grants,  that  they  might  choose  for  their  confessor  any 
secular  or  regular  priest  licensed  by  the  diocesan,  to  whom 
power  is  granted  to  absolve  them  of  all  sins  and  censures 
whatsoever,  [though  they  be  reserved  to  the  apostolical  see, 
and  specified  in  the  bull  of  the  Lord's  supper,  except  of  the 
crime  heresy,]  and  that  they  should  enjoy  free  and  full  indul- 
gence and  pardon  of  them  all.  But  of  the  sins  not  reserved 
to  the  apostolical  see,  they  may  be  absolved  toties  quoties,  i.  e., 
as  many  times  as  they  do  confess  them,  and  perform  salutary 
penance  :  And  if  to  be  absolved,  there  be  need  of  restitution, 
they  might  make  it  themselves,  or  by  their  heirs,  if  they  have 
an  impediment  to  make  it  themselves.  Likewise  the  said  con- 
fessor shall  have  power  to  communicate  or  change  any  vow 
whatsoever,  though  made  with  an  oath,  (excepting  the  vow 
of  chastity,  religion,  and  beyond  seas)  but  this  is,  upon  giving 
for  charity  what  they  should  think  fit,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
holy  crusade. 

10.  Ite7n.  That  if,  during  the  said  year,  they  should  happen, 
l)y  sudden  death,  or  by  the  absence  of  their  confessor,  to 
die  without  confessing  their  sins;  if  they  die  hearty  peni- 
tents ;  and  in  the  time  appointed  by  the  church,  had  confessed, 
and  have  not  been  negligent  or  careless  in  confidence  of  this 
grace,  it  is  granted,  that  they  should  obtain  the  said  free  and 
full  indulgence  and  pardon  of  all  their  sins;  and  their  corpse 
might  be  buried  in  ecclesiastical  burying  place,  (if  they  dio 
not  die  excommunicated,)  notwithstanding  the  interdictum. 

11.  Likewise  his  holiness  hath  granted  by  his  particular 
brief,  to  all  the  faithful  Christians,  that  take  the  bull  twice  a 
j^ear,  that  they  might  once  more,  during  their  lives,  and  once 
more  at  the  point  of  death,  (besides  what  is  said  above,)  be 


-     MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY,  8  . 

absolved  of  all  the  sins,  crimes,  excesses  of  vhat  nature  soev- 
er, censures,  sentences  of  excommunication,  though  comprised 
in  the  bull  of  the  Lord's  supper,  and  tnough  the  absolu- 
tion of  them  be  reserved  to  his  holiness,  (except  the  crime 
and  ofience  of  heresy,)  and  that  they  might  twice  more  enjoy 
all  the  graces,  indulgences,  faculties  and  pardons  granted  in 
this  bull. 

12.  And  his  holiness  gives  power  and  authority  to  us,  Don 
Francis  Anthony  Ramirez  de  la  Piscina,  archdeacon  of  Al- 
carraz,  prebendory  and  canon  of  the  holy  church  at  Toledo 
primate  of  the  Spains,  of  his  Majesty's  council,  apostolic, 
general  commissary  of  the  holy  crusada,  and  all  other  graces 
in  all  the  kingdoms  and  dominions  of  Spain,  to  suspend 
(during  the  year  of  the  publishing  of  this  bull)  all  the  graces, 
indulgences,  and  faculties,  granted  to  the  said  kingdoms,  do- 
minions, isles,  provinces,  to  whatever  churches,  monasteries, 
hospitals,  brotherhoods,  pious  places,  and  to  particular  persons, 
though  the  granting  of  them  did  contain  words  contrary  to 
this  suspension. 

13.  Likewise  he  gives  us  power  to  reinforce  and  make  good 
again  the  same  graces  and  faculties,  and  all  others  whatso- 
ever ;  and  he  gives  us  and  our  deputies  power  to  suspend  the 
interdictum  in  whatever  place  this  bull  should  be  preached  ; 
and  likewise  to  fix  and  determine  the  quantum  of  the  contri- 
bution the  people  is  to  give  for  this  bull,  according  to  the 
abilities  and  quality  of  persons. 

14.  And  we,  the  said  apostolic  general  commissary  of  the  ho- 
ly crusada,  (in  favor  of  this  holy  bull,  by  the  apostolical  author- 
ity granted  to  us,  and  that  so  holy  a  work  do  not  cease  nor  be 
hindered  by  any  other  indulgence.)  do  suspend,  during  the 
year,  all  the  graces,  indulgences  and  faculties,  of  this  or  any 
other  kind,  granted  by  his  holiness,  or  by  other  popes  his  pre- 
decessors, or  by  the  holy  apostolical  see,  or  by  his  authority,  to 
all  the  kingdoms  of  his  majesty,  to  all  churches,  monaster- 
ies, hospitals,  and  other  pious  places,  universities,  brother- 
hoods, and  secular  persons  ;  though  the  said  graces  and  facul- 
ties be  in  favor  of  the  building  of  St.  Peter's  church  at  Rome, 
or  of  any  crusr.da,  though  all  and  every  one  of  them  should 
contain  words  contrary  to  this  suspension  :  So  that,  Juring 
the  year,  no  person  shall  obtain,  or  enjoy,  any  other  graces, 
indulgences  or  faculties  whatsoever,  nor  can  be  published, 
except  only  the  privileges  granted  to  the  superiors  of  the 
mendicant  orders,  as  to  their  friars. 

15.  And  in  favor  of  this  bull,  and  by  the  sa::'  apostolical 


82  I\rASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

authority  we  ded  ire,  that  all  those  that  would  take  this  bull 
might  obtain  and  enjoy  all  the  graces,  faculties  and  indulgen 
ces,  jubilees  and  pardons,  which  have  been  granted  by  our 
holy  fathers,  Paul  the  5th,  and  Urbannus  the  Sth,  and  by  other 
popes  of  happy  memory,  and  by  the  holy  apostolical  see  or  by 
its  authority,  mentioned  and  comprised  in  the  said  suspension, 
and  which;  by  the  apostolical  commission,  we  reinforce  and 
make  good  again  ;  and  by  the  same  authority  do  suspend  the 
interdictum  for  eight  days  before  and  after  publishing  this 
bull,  in  any  place  whatsoever  (as  it  is  contained  in  his  holi- 
ness' brief) :  And  we  command  that  everybody,  that  would 
take  this  bull,  be  obliged  to  keep  by  him  the  same  which  is  here 
printed,  signed  and  sealed  with  our  name  aad  seal,  and  that  oth- 
erwise they  cannot  obtain  nor  enjoy  the  benefit  of  the  said  bull. 
16.  And  whereas  you  (Peter  de  Zuloaga)  have  given  two 
reales  de  plata,  which  is  the  charity  fixed  by  us,  and  have 
taken  this  bull,  and  your  name  is  written  in  it,  we  do  declare, 
that  you  have  already  obtained,  and  are  granted  the  said  in- 
dulgences, and  that  you  may  enjoy  and  make  use  of  them  in 
the  abovementioned  form.  Given  at  Madrid,  the  eighteenth 
day  of  March,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighteen. 

Form  of  absolution,  which,  by  virtue  of  this  bull,  may  be  given  to  all  those 
that  take  the  bull  once  in  their  life  time,  and  once  upon  the  point  of 
death. 

Misereatur  tui  Omnipotens  Deus,  &c.  By  the  authority  of 
God  and  his  holy  apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  our  most 
holy  father  (N.)  to  you  especially  granted  and  to  be  committed, 
I  absolve  you  from  all  censure  of  the  greater  or  lesser  excom- 
munication, suspension,  interdictum,  and  from  all  other  cen- 
sures and  pains,  or  punishments,  which  they  have  incurred 
and  deserved,  though  the  absolution  of  them  be  reserved  to  the 
apostolic  see,  (as  by  the  same  is  granted  to  you.)  And  I 
bring  you  again  into  the  union  and  communion  of  the  faithful 
Christians :  And  also  I  absolve  you  from  all  the  sins,  crimes, 
and  excesses,  which  you  have  now  here  confessed,  and  from 
those  which  you  would  confess,  if  you  did  remember  them, 
though  they  be  so  exceeding  great,  that  the  absolution  of  them 
be  reserved  to  the  apostolical  see  ;  and  I  do  grant  you  free  and 
full  indulgence,  and  pardon  of  all  your  sins  now  and  whenever 
confessed,  forgotten,  and  out  of  your  mind,  and  of  all  the  pains 
and  punishmems  which  you  were  obliged  to  endure  for  them 

n  ourgatory.     In  the  name  of  the  Father,  of  the  Sfii,  and  of 

ths  Holy  Giiost. — Amen. 


MA":  PER -KEY    TO    FOPERY.  S3 

Brio',  or  sum  of  the  estations  and   indulgences  of  Rome,  which  his  holinesil 
grants  ^,  all  those  that  would  take  and  lulfil  the  content^'  of  thig  bull. 

The  first  day  in  St.  Sabine,  free  and  full  indulgence 

Thursday  in  St.  George,  do. 

Friday  in  St.  John  and  St.  Paul,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Critfon,  do. 

First  Sunday  in  Lent,  in  St.  John,  St.  Paul,  do. 

Monday  in  St.  Peter  ad  Vincula,  do. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Anastasie,  do. 

*And  this  day  everybody  takes  a  soul  out  of  pvrgatory. 
Wednesday  in  St.  INIary  the  greater,  free  and  full  indulgence. 

Ihursday  in  St.  Laurence  Panispema,        do. 

Friday  in  the  saints  apostles,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Second  Sunday  in  Lent,  in  St.  Mary  of  Na- 

vicula,  and  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do. 

Monday  in  St.  Clement,  do. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Balbine,  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Cicile,  do. 

Thursday  in  St.  Mary  transtiber,  do. 

Eriday  in  St.  Vidal,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Peter  and  St.  Marcelin,     do. 

*And  this  day  everybody  takes  one  soul  out  of  pK.-;5>tory. 
Third  Sunday  in  Lent  in  St.  Laurence, 
extra  Muros,  free  and  full  indulgence. 

^And  this  day  everybody  takes  one  soul  out  of  purg^  tory. 

Monday  in  St.  Mark,  free  and  full  indulgence. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Potenciane,  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Sixte,  do. 

Thursday  in  St.  Cosme,  and  St.  Damian, 
the  image  of  our  lady  of  Populi  and 
Pacis,  is  shown.  do. 

Friday  in  St.  Laurence  in  Lucina,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Susane,  and  St.  Mary  of  the  angels. 
Fourth  Sunday  in  Lent  in  St.  Crosse  of  Jerusalem,  do. 

^This  day  everybody  takes  one  soul  out  of  purgatory 

Monday  in  the  4-cro\vned  free  and  full  indulgences. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Laurence  in  Damascus,  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Thursday  in  St.  Silvastre  and  in  St.  Mary  in 
the  mountains,  do. 

Friday  in  St.  Usebe,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Nicholas  in  prison,  do. 

Fifth  Sunday  in  Lent  in  St.  Peter,  do. 


84  MASTER-KEV    TO    POPERY 

Mondiy  in  St.  Crissone,  free  and  full  indulgence 

Tuesday  in  St.  Quirce,  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Marcelle,  do. 

Thursday  in  St.  AppoUinaris,  do. 

Friday  in  St.  Estephan,  do. 

^This  day  everybody  takes  one  soul  out  of  purgatory. 
Saturday  in  St.  John  ante  Portam  Latinam,  free  and  full  in- 
dulgence. 

•^And  this  day  every  one  takes  a  soul  out  of  purgatory. 
Sixth  Sunday  in  Lent  in  St.  John  de  Leteran,  full  and  free  iu- 

[dulgence. 

Monday  in  St.  Praxedis,  do. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Priske,  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do. 

Thursday  in  St.  John  de  Leteran,  do. 

Friday  in  St.  Crosse  of  Jerusalem,  and  in  St. 
Mary  of  the  angels,         ^  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  John  de  Leteran,  do. 

JEaster  Sunday  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do. 

Monday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Paul,  ^  do. 

Wednesday  in  St.  Laurence,  extra  muros,  do. 

^This  day  everybody  takes  a  soul  out  of  purgatory. 

Thursday  in  the  saints  apostles,  free  and  full  indulgence 

Friday  in  St.  Mary  Rotunda,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  John  Deleteran,  do. 

Sunday  after  Easter  in  St.  Pancracy,  do. 

ESTATIONS  AFTER  EASTER. 
m  the  greater  litanies  :  St.  Mark's  day ;  in  St. 

Peter,  do. 

Ascension-day  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Whitsunday  in  St.  John  de  Leteran,  do 

Monday  in  St.  Peter,  do 

Tuesday  in  St.  Anastasie,  do, 

Wednesday  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do 

Thursday  in  St.  Laurence,  extra  muros,  do. 

=^This  day  everybody  takes  a  soul  out  of  purgatoiy. 

Friday  in  the  saints  apostles,  free  and  full  indiilgeiww 

Saturday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

ESTATIONS  IN  ADVENT 
First  Sunday  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do. 

And  in  the  same  church  all  the  holy  days  oi 
our  lady,  _  do 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  S5 

Second  Sunday  in  St.  Crosse  of  Jerusalem,  free  and  full  m- 

The  same  day  in  St.  Mary  of  the  angels,  do.  [dulget.ce. 
Third  Sunday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Wednesday  of  the  four  rogations,  in  St.  Mary  the  greater. 

Friday  in  the  saints  apostles,  do. 

Saturday  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Fourth  Sunday  in  the  saints  apostles,  do. 

CHRISTxMAS  NIGHT. 
At  the  first  mass  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  in  the 

Manger's  chapel,  do. 

At  the  second  mass  St.  Anastasie,  do. 

CHRISTMAS  DAY. 
At  the  third  mass  in  St.  jMary  the  greater,        do. 

Monday  in  St.  Mary  Rotunda,  do. 

Tuesday  in  St.  Mary  the  greater,  do. 

The  innocent's  day  in  St.  Paul,  do. 

The  circumcision  of  Christ  in  St.  Mary  transtiber, 
The  Epiphany  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

Dominica  in  Septuag.  in  St.  Laurence,  extra  muros. 

"^This  day  everybody  takes  a  soul  out  of  purgatory. 
Dominica  in  Sexa^f.  in  St.  Paul,  free  and  full  indulsfence. 
Dominica  in  Quinquag.  in  St.  Peter,  do. 

And  because,  every  day  of  the  year,  there  is  estations  at 
Rome,  with  great  indulgences,  therefore  it  is  granted  to  all 
those  that  take  this  bull,  the  same  indulgences  and  pardons 
»very  day  which  are  granted  at  Rome. 

Don  Francis  Anthony  RaxAiiret,  de  la  Pisoina. 

Explanation  of  this  bull,  and  remark  upon  it. 

BULL  OF  CRUSADE. 

A  pope's  brief,  granting  the  sign  of  the  cross  to  those  that 
Cake  it.  All  that  a  foreigner  can  learn  in  the  dictionaries,  as 
to  this  word,  is  the  above  account ;  therefore  I  ought  to  tell 
you  that  are  foreigners,  that  the  word  crusada  was  a  grant  of 
the  cross ;  i.  e.,  that  when  the  king  of  Spain  makes  war 
against  the  Turks  and  infidels,  his  coat  of  arms,  and  the  motto 
of  his  colors,  is  the  cross,  by  which  all  the  soldiers  under- 
stand such  a  war  is  an  holy  war,  and  that  the  army  of  the 
king,  having  in  its  standard  the  sign  of  the  cross,  hath  a  great 
advantage  over  the  enemy  ;  for,  as  they  do  believe,  if  they 
die  in  such  a  w^ar,  their  souls  go  straight  to  heaven;  and  to 
confirm  them  in  this  opinion,  the  pope  grants  them  this  bull, 
signed  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  so  n.any  iniulgences  as  you 
aavc  read  in  it. 

H 


86  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

Again,  crus,  or  cross,  is  the  only  distinguishing  character 
of  those  that  follow  the  colors  of  Jesus  Christ,  from  whence 
crusada  is  derived,  that  is  to  say,  a  brief  of  indulgences  and 
privileges  of  the  cross  granted  to  all  those  that  serve  in  the 
war  for  the  defence  of  the  Christian  faith  against  all  its  ene- 
mies whatsoever. 

This  bull  is  granted  by  the  pope  every  year  to  the  king  ccf 
Spain,  and  all  his  subjects,  by  which  the  king  increases  his 
treasure,  and  the  pope  takes  no  small  share  of  it.  The  ex- 
cessive sums  of  money,  which  the  bull  brings  in  to  the  king 
and  pope,  everybody  may  easily  know,  by  the  account  I  am 
going  to  give  of  it. 

It  is  an  inviolable  custom  in  Spain,  every  year,  after  Christ- 
mas, to  have  this  bull  published  in  every  city,  town,  and  bor- 
ough, which  is  always  done  in  the  following  manner : 

The  general  commissary  of  the  holy  crusade  most  com- 
monly resides  at  Madrid,  from  whence  he  sends  to  his  deputies, 
in  every  kingdom  or  province,  the  printed  bulls  they  want  in 
their  respective  jurisdictions.  This  bull  being  published  at 
Madrid  by  the  general  commissary  or  his  deputy,  which  is 
always  done  by  a  famous  preacher,  after  the  gospel  is  sung  in 
the  high  m.ass,  and  in  a  sermon  which  he  preaches  upon  this 
subject.  After  this  is  done  at  Madrid,  (I  say,)  all  the  deputies 
of  the  holy  crusada  send  from  the  capital  city,  where  they 
reside,  friars  with  a  petit  commissary  to  every  town  and  vil- 
lage, to  preach  and  publish  the  bull.  Every  preacher  has  his 
own  circuit,  and  a  certain  number  of  towns  and  villages,  to 
publish  it  in,  and,  making  use  of  the  privileges  mentioned  in 
the  bull,  he  in  his  sermon  persuades  the  people  that  nobody 
can  be  saved  that  year  without  it,  which  they  do  and  say  every 
year  again. 

The  petit  commissary,  for  his  trouble,  has  half  a  real  of 
eight,  i.  e.,  two  and  fourpence  a  day  ;  and  the  preacher,  accord- 
ing to  the  extent  of  the  circuit,  has  twenty  or  thirty  crowns 
for  the  whole  journey,  and  both  are  well  entertained  i:i  every 
place. 

Every  soul,  from  seven  years  of  age  and  upwards,  is  Dbliged 
to  take  a  bull,  and  pay  two  reals  of  plate,  i.  e.,  thirteen  pence 
three  farthings  of  this  money;  and  one  part  out  of  three  of  the 
living  persons  take  two  or  three,  according  to  their  families 
and  abilities.  The  regular  priests  are  obliged  to  take,  three 
times  every  year,  the  bull,  for  which  they  pay  two  reals  of 
plate :  In  the  beginning  of  Lent  another,  which  they  call  bull 
■ji  lactic;  nous,  i.  e ,  bull  to  eat  eggs,  and  things  bi  milk,  with- 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  87 

out  which  they  cannot :  And  another  in  the  holy  week.  For 
the  bull  of  lacticinous  they  pay  four  and  ninepence,  and  the 
same  for  the  bull  of  the  holy  week ;  the  friars  and  nuns  do 
the  same.  Now,  if  you  consider  the  number  of  ecclesiastics 
and  nuns  and  all  the  living  souls  from  seven  years  of  age  and 
upwards,  you  may  easily  know  what  vast  sums  of  money  the 
king  gets  in  his  dominions  by  this  yearly  brief,  of  which  the 
third  part  or  better  goes  to  Kome  one  way  or  other. 

Add  to  this  the  bull  of  the  dead.  This  is  another  sort  of 
bull ;  for  the  pope  grants  in  it  pardon  of  sins,  and  salvation  to 
them,  who,  before  they  die,  or  after  their  death  their  relations 
for  them,  take  this  bull  of  defunctorum.  The  custom  of  tak- 
ing this  bull  is  become  a  law,  and  a  very  rigorous  law,  in 
their  church  ;  for  nobody  can  be  buried,  either  in  the  church 
or  in  the  church-yard,  without  having  this  bull  upon  their 
breasts,  which  (as  they  say)  is  a  token  and  signal  that  they 
were  Christians  in  their  lives,  and  after  death  they  are  in  the 
vay  of  salvation.  y 

So  many  poor  people,  either  beggars  or  strangers,  or  those 
that  die  in  the  hospitals,  could  not  be  buried  without  the  help 
of  the  well-disposed  people,  who  bestow^  their  charities  for 
the  use  of  taking  bulls  of  the  dead,  that  the  poor  destitute  peo- 
ple might  have  the  benefit  of  a  consecrated  burying-place. 
The  sum  for  this  bull  is  two  reals  of  plate,  and  whatever 
money  is  gathered  together  in  the  whole  year  goes  to  the  pope, 
or  (as  they  say)  to  the  treasure  of  the  church.  Now  I  leave 
to  everybody's  consideration,  how  many  persons  die  in  a  year, 
in  so  vast  dominions  as  those  of  the  king  of  Spain,  by  which, 
in  this  point,  the  pope's  benefit,  or  the  treasure  of  the  church, 
may  be  nearly  known. 

O  stupid,  blind,  ignorant  people  !  Of  what  use  or  benefit 
is  this  bull  after  death  ?  Hear  what  St.  John  tells  you  :  Happy 
are  they  that  die  in  the  Lord.  It  is  certain  that  all  those  that 
die  in  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  heartily  penitent,  and  sorry  for 
their  sins,  go  immediately  to  enjoy  the  ravishing  pleasures  of 
eternal  life  ;  and  those  that  die  in  sin,  go  to  suffer  forever  'v\ 
the  dark  place  of  torment.  And  this  happens  to  our  souls 
the  very  instant  of  their  separation  from  their  bodies.  Let 
everybody  make  use  of  their  natural  reason,  and  read  impar- 
tially the  scripture,  and  he  will  find  it  to  be  so,  or  else  he  wiL 
believe  it  to  be  so.  Then  if  it  is  so,  they  ought  to  consider, 
that  when  they  take  this  bull  (which  is  commonly  a  little  be- 
fore they  carry  the  corpse)  into  the  church  the  judgment  of 
God,  as  to  the  soul,  is  over,  (for  in  t)ie  twinkling  of  an  eye  he 


8S  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

may  lay  the  charges  and  pass  the  sentence) — at  that  ime  the 
soul  is  either  in  heaven  or  hell.  What,  then,  doth  the  bull 
signify  to  them  ?  But  of  this  I  shall  speak  in  another  place. 
And  now  I  come  to  the  explanation  of  the  bull,  and  the  re- 
marks upon  it. 

This  bull  I  am  speaking  of  was  granted  five  years  ago  to 
the  faithful  people  of  Spain,  by  the  late  pope,  and  v/hich  a 
gentleman  of  the  army  took  accidentally  from  a  master  of  a 
ship  out  of  Biscay,  whose  name  is  Peter  de  Zoloaga,  as  it  is 
signed  by  himself  in  the  same  bull,  and  may  be  seen  at  the 
publisher's.  I  have  said  already  that  a  bull  is  every  year 
granted  to  the  king  of  Spain,  by  the  pope  in  being,  who,  either 
for  the  sake  of  money,  or  for  fear,  doth  not  scruple  at  all  to 
grant  quite  contrary  bulls  to  two  kings  at  the  same  tim« 
reigning  in  Spain.  Now  1  crave  leave  to  vindicate  my  pres 
ent  saying. 

When  the  present  kmg  of  Spain,  Philip  the  Vth,  went  theit^ 
and  was  crowned,  both  the  arms  spiritual  and  temporal,  rep* 
resentatives  of  the  whole  nation,  (as  in  these  kingdoms,  thrt 
house  of  lords  and  commons,)  gave  him  the  oath  of  fidelity 
acknowledging  him  for  their  lawful  sovereign :  And  when 
this  was  done,  pope  Clement  Xlth  did  confirm  it,  nay,  his  holi 
ness  gave  him  the  investiture  of  Naples,  which  is  the  sealinf* 
up  all  the  titles  and  rights  belonging  to  a  lawful  king,  and 
after  this  he  granted  him  the  bull  crusade,  by  which  he  ac- 
knowledged him  king,  and  gave  him  help  to  defend  himself 
and  his  dominions  against  all  the  enemies  of  Christianity,  and 
all  enemies  whatsoever.  Everj^body  knows  that  this  pope 
was  for  the  interests  of  the  house  of  Bourbon,  rather  than  the 
house  of  Austria  ;  and  so  no  wonder,  if  he  did  not  lose  any 
time  m,  settling  the  crown  and  all  the  right  upon  Philip  of 
Bourbon,  rather  than  upon  Charles  the  Illd,  the  present  em- 
peror of  Germany. 

This  last,  thinking  that  the  right  to  the  crown  of  Spain  be- 
longed to  him,  of  which  I  shall  not  talk,  begun  the  war 
against  Philip,  supported  by  the  Heretics,  (as  the  Spaniards 
call  the  English,)  and  being  proclaimed  at  Madrid,  and  at 
Saragossa,  he  applied  to  the  pope  to  be  confirmed  king,  and  to 
get  both  the  investiture  of  Naples,  and  the  bull  of  the  holy 
crusade.  As  to  the  investiture  of  Naples,  I  leave  it  to  the  his- 
tory written  upon  the  late  war  :  But  as  to  the  bull,  the  pope 
granted  it  to  him,  giving  him  all  the  titles  he  gave  to  Philip. 
At  the  same  time  there  were  two  kings,  and  two  bulls,  and  one 
pope,  and  one  people.     The  divines  met  together  to  examine 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  89 

this  point  vi2.  :  Whether  the  same  people,  having  given  their 
oath  of  fidelity  to  Philip,  and  taken  the  bull  granted  to  him, 
were  obliged  to  acknowledge  Charles  as  a  king,  and  take  the 
bull  granted  to  him. 

The  divines  for  Philip  vv'ere  of  opinion  that  the  pope  could 
not  annul  the  oath,  nor  dispense  with  the  oath  taken  by  the 
whole  nation,  and  that  the  people  were  obliged  in  conscience 
not  to  take  any  other  bull  than  that  granted  to  Philip  ;  and  their 
reason  was,  that  the  pope  was  forced  by  the  imperial  army  to 
do  it;  and  that  his  holiness  did  it  out  of  fear,  and  to  prevent 
the  ruin  of  the  church,  which  then  was  threatened. 

The  divines  for  Charles  did  allege  the  pope's  infallibility, 
and  that  every  Christian  is  obliged  in  conscience  to  follow^  the 
last  declaration  of  the  pope,  and  blindly  to  obey  it,  without 
inquiring  into  the  reasons  that  did  move  the  pope  to  it.  And 
the  same  dispute  was  about  the  presentation  of  bishops,  for 
there  was  at  the  same  time  a  bishoprick  vacant,  and  Charles 
having  appointed  one,  and  Philip  another,  the  pope  confirmed 
them  both,  and  both  of  them  were  consecrated.  From  this  it 
appears  that  the  pope  makes  no  scruple  at  all  in  granting  two 
bulls  to  two  kin"gs  at  the  same  time,  and  to  embroil  with  them 
the  whole  nation ;  w4iich  he  did,  not  out  of  fear,  nor  to  prevent 
the  ruin  of  the  church,  but  of  self-interest,  and  to  secure  his 
revenue  both  ways,  and  on  both  sides. 

But,  reader,  be  not  surprised  at  this ;  for  this  pope  I  am 
speaking  of,  was  so  ambitious^  and  of  so  haughty  a  temper, 
that  he  did  not  care  what  means  he  made  use  of,  either  to 
please  his  temper,  or  to  quench  the  thirst  of  his  ambition.  I 
say,  he  was  of  so  haughty  a  temper,  that  he  never  suffered 
his  decrees  to  be  contradicted  or  disputed,  though  they  were 
against  both  human  and  divine  laws.  To  clear  this,  I  will 
give  an  account  of  an  instance  in  a  case  which  happened  in 
his  pontificate  : 

I  was  in  Lisbon  ten  years  ago,  and  a  Spanish  gentleman, 
whose  surname  was  Gonzalez,  came  to  lodge  in  the  same 
house  where  I  was  for  a  while  before  ;  and  as  we,  after  supper, 
were  talking  of  the  pope's  supremacy  and  power,  he  told  me 
that  he  himself  was  a  living  witness  of  the  pope's  authority 
on  oath  :  and,  asking  him  how,  he  gave  the  folio wii.g  account 

I  was  born  in  Granada,  said  he,  of  honest  and  rich,  though 
not  noble  parents,  who  gave  me  the  best  education  they  could 
in  that  city.  I  was  not  twenty  years  of  age  when  my  father 
and  mother  died,  both  within  the  space  of  six  months.  _  They 
left  me  all  they  had  in  the  world,  recommending  to  me,  in  their 

H  2 


90  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPEKY. 

testament,  to  take  care  of  my  sister  Dorothea,  and  to  provide 
for  her.  She  was  the  only  sister  I  had,  and  at  that  time  in  the 
eighteenth  year  of  her  age.  From  our  youth  we  had  tenderly 
loved  one  another ;  and  upon  her  account,  quitting  my  studies, 
I  gave  myself  up  to  her  company.  This  tender  brotherly  love 
produced  in  my  heart  at  last  another  sort  of  love  for  her ;  and 
though  I  never  showed  her  my  passion,  I  was  a  sufferer  by  it. 
I  was  ashamed  within  myself  to  see  that  I  could  not  master 
nor  overcome  this  irregular  inclination  ;  and  perceiving  that 
the  persisting  in  it  would  prove  the  ruin  of  my  soul,  and  my 
sister's  too,  I  finally  resolved  to  quit  the  country  for  a  while, 
to  see  whether  I  could  dissipate  this  passion,  and  banish  out 
of  my  heart  this  burning  and  consuming  fire  ;  and  after  hav- 
ing settled  my  affairs,  and  put  my  sister  under  the  care  of  an 
aunt,  I  took  my  leave  of  her,  who,  being  surprised  at  this  un- 
expected news,  she  upon  her  knees  begged  me  to  tell  the  rea- 
son that  moved  me  to  quit  the  country  ;  and,  after  telling  her 
that  I  had  no  reason,  but  only  a  mind  and  desire  to  travel  two 
or  three  years,  and  that  I  begged  of  her  not  to  marry  any  per- 
son in  the  world,  until  my  return  home,  I  left  her  and  went  to 
Kome.  By  letters  of  recommendation,  by  money,  and  my 
careful  comportment,  1  got  myself,  in  a  little  time,  into  the 
fiivor  and  house  of  cardinal  A.  I.  Two  years  I  spent  in  his 
service  at  my  own  expense,  and  his  kindness  to  me  was  so 
exceeding  great,  that  I  was  not  only  his  companion,  but  his 
favorite  and  confidant.  All  this  while,  I  was  so  raving  and  in 
so  deep  a  melancholy,  that  his  eminence  pressed  upon  me  to 
tell  him  the  reason.  I  told  him  that  my  distemper  had  no 
remedy  :  but  he  still  insisted  the  more  to  know  my  distemper. 
At  last,  I  told  him  the  love  I  had  for  my  sister,  and  that  it 
being  impossible  she  should  be  my  wife,  my  distemper  had  no 
remedy.  To  this  he  said  nothing,  but  the  day  following  went 
to  the  sacred  palace,  and  meeting  in  the  pope's  antechamber 
cardinal  P.  I.,  he  asked  him  whether  the  pope  could  dispense 
with  the  natural  and  divine  impediment  between  brother  and 
lister  to  be  married  ;  and,  as  cardinal  P.  I.  said  that  the  pope 
could  not,  my  protector  began  a  loud  and  bitter  dispute  with 
him,  alleging  reasons  by  which  the  pope  could  do  it.  The  pope, 
hearing  the  noise,  came  out  of  his  chamber,  and  asked  what 
was  the  matter  ?  He  was  told  it,  and,  flying  into  an  uncommon 
passion,  said  the  pope  may  do  everything,  1  do  dispense  with  it, 
and  left  them  with  these  words.  The  protector  took  testimony 
of  the  Pope's  declaration,  and  went  to  the  datary  and  drew  a 
public  irstiument  of  the  dispensation,  and,  coming  home,  gave 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  9. 

t  to  me,  and  said,  though  I  shall  be  deprived  of  your  good 
services  and  company,  I  am  very  glad  that  I  serve  you  in  this 
to  your  heart's  desire  and  satisfaction.  Take. this  dispensa- 
tion, and  go  whenever  you  please  to  marry  your  sister  I  left 
Rome,  and  came  home,  and  after  I  had  rested  from  the  fatigue 
of  so  long  a  journey,  I  went  to  present  the  dispensation  to  the 
bishop,  and  to  get  his  license  ;  but  he  told  me  that  he  could  not 
receive  the  dispensation,  nor  give  such  a  license ;  I  acquaint- 
ed my  protector  with  this,  and  immediately  an  excommunica- 
tion was  despatched  against  the  bishop,  for  having  disobeyed 
the  pope,  and  commanding  him  to  pay  a  thousand  pistoles  for 
the  treasure  of  the  church,  and  to  marry  me  himself;  so,  I  was 
married  by  the  bishop,  and  at  this  time  I  have  five  children  by 
my  wife  and  sister. 

From  these  accounts,  Christian  reader,  you  may  jCtrlge  of 
that  pope's  temper  and  ambition,  and  you  may  likewise  think 
of  the  rest  as  you  may  see  it  in  the  following  discourse. 

The  title,  head,  or  direction  of  this  bull  is,  to  all  the  faithful 
Christians,  in  the  kingdoms  and  dominions  of  Spain,  who 
should  help,  or  serve  in  the  war,  which  the  king  makes  against 
Turks,  infidels,  and  all  the  enemies  of  the  holy  catholic  faith  ; 
or  to  those  that  should  contribute,  and  pray  for  the  union 
among  the  Christian  princes,  and  for  the  victory  over  the  ene- 
mies of  Christianity. 

The  Roman  Catholics,  with  the  pope,  say  and  firmly  believe 
(I  speak  of  the  generality)  that  no  man  can  be  saved  out  of 
their  communion  ;  and  so  they  reckon  enemies  of  their  faith 
all  those  that  are  of  a  different  opinion ;  and  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  Protestants  or  heretics  (as  they  call  them)  are  their 
irreconcilable  enemies. 

They  pray  publicly  for  the  extirpation  of  the  heretics, 
Turks,  and  infidels  in  the  mass;  and  they  do  really  believe 
they  are  bound  in  conscience  to  make  use  of  all  sorts  of  means, 
let  them  be  ever  so  base,  inhuman,  and  barbarous,  for  the 
murdering  of  them.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  which  the  priests  and  confessors  do  take  care  to  sow  in 
the  Roman  Catholics;  and  by  their  advice,  the  hatred,  malice, 
and  aversion  is  raised  to  a  great  height  against  the  heretics, 
as  you  shall  know  by  the  following  instances. 

First,  in  the  last  war  between  Charles  the  3d,  and  Philip 
the  5th,  the  Protestants  confederate  with  Charles  did  sutler 
very  much  by  the  country  people.  Those,  encouraged  by  the 
priests  and  confessors  of  Philip's  part,  thinking  that  if  any 
Christian  could  kill  a  heretic,  he  should  do  God  service,  aid 


92  MASTEH-KEY   TO    TOPERY. 

murder  in  private  many  soldiers,  both  English  and  Dutch.  1 
saw,  and  I  do  speak  now  before  God  and  the  world,  in  a  town 
called  Ficentes  de  Ebro,  several  arms  and  legs  out  of  the 
ground  in  the  field,  and  inquiring  the  reason  why  those  corpses 
were  buried  in  the  field,  (a  thing  indeed  not  unusual  there,) 
I  was  answered,  that  those  were  the  corpses  of  some  English 
heretics,  murdered  by  the  patrons  or  landlords,  who  had  killed 
them  to  show  their  zeal  for  their  religion,  and  an  old  maxim 
among  them :  Be  los  Ejieinigos  los  menos  :  let  us  have  as 
few  enemies  as  we  can.  Fourteen  English  private  men  were 
killed  the  night  before  in  their  beds,  and  buried  in  the  field, 
and  I  myself  reckoned  all  of  them  ;  and  I  suppose  many  others 
\vere  murdered,  whom  I  did  not  see,  though  I  heard  of  it. 

The  murderers  make  no  scruple  of  it,  but,  out  of  bravery, 
and  zeal  for  their  religion,  tell  it  to  the  father  confessor,  not  as 
a  sin,  but  as  a  famous  action  done  by  them  in  favor  of  their 
faith.  So  great  is  the  hatred  and  aversion  the  catholics  have 
against  the  protestants  and  all  enemies  of  their  religion.  We 
could  confirm  the  truth  of  this  proposition  with  the  cruelty  of 
the  late  king  of  France  against  the  poor  Huguenots,  whom  we 
call  now  refugees.  This  is  well  known  to  everybody,  there- 
fore I  leave  Lewis  and  his  counsellors  where  they  are  in  the 
other  world,  where  it  is  to  be  feared  they  endure  more  torments 
than  the  banished  refugees  in  this  present  one.  So,  to  con- 
clude what  I  have  to  say  upon  the  head  or  title  of  this  bull,  I 
may  positively  affirm  that  the  pope's  design  in  granting  it,  is, 
first,  out  of  interest ;  secondly,  to  encourage  the  common  peo- 
ple to  make  war,  and  to  root  up  all  the  people  that  are  not  of 
his  comxm union,  or  to  increase,  this  way,  if  he  can,  his  reve- 
nues, or  the  treasure  of  the  church. 

I  come  now  to  the  beginning  of  the  bull,  where  the  pope  or 
his  sub-delegate,  deputy,  or  general  commissary,  doth  ground 
the  granting  of  it  in  that  passage  of  the  prophet  Joel,  chap, 
iii.  V.  IS,  expressed  in  these  words  :  That  he  saio  for  the  com- 
fort of  all,  a  mystical  fountain  come  out  from  God  hi  his  house^ 
or  (as  it  is  in  Spanish  in  the  original  bull,)/ro?7i  God  and  from 
the  Lord's  house,  which  did  water  and  wash  the  sins  of  that 
'people. 

The  reflections,  which  may  be  made  upon  this  X^^X,  I  leave 
to  our  divines,  whose  learning  I  do  equally  covet  and  respect: 
I  only  say  that  in  the  Latin  Bible  I  have  found  the  text  thus  : 
"Et  fons  e  domo  Jehovce  prodihit,  qui  irrigabit  vallem  cedrorum 
Lectissimarum.  And  in  our  English  translation  :  And  a  foun- 
tain shall  come  forth  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  water 


Half  buried  bodies  of  Eiiglislmien  murdered  by  Catholic; 


MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY.  93 

he  valley  of  Shittem.  Now  I  leave  the  learned  man  to  make 
nis  reflections,  and  I  proceed  to  the  application. 

Seeing  then  our  most  holy  father  (so  nroes  on)  Clement  the 
XTth,  for  the  zeal  of  the  catholic  king,  for  the  defence  of  oux 
holy  faith,  to  help  him  in  this  holy  enterprise,  doth  grant  him 
this  bull,  by  which  his  holiness  openeth  the  springs  of  the  blood 
of  Christ ;  and  the  treasure  of  his  inestimable  merits,  and  with 
it  encourageth  all  the  Christians  to  the  assistance  of  this  un- 
dertaking. 

I  said  before  that  the  pope  grants  every  year  such  a  bull  as 
this  for  the  same  purpose :  so  every  year  he  openeth  the 
springs  of  Christ's  blood.  O  heaven  !  what  is  man  that  thou 
shouldst  magnify  him  ?  Or,  rather,  w^hat  is  this  man  that  he 
should  magnify  himself,  taking  upon  him  the  title  of  most  My 
father,  and  that  of  his  holiness  ?  A  man  (really  a  man)  for 
it  is  certain  that  this  man  and  many  others  of  his  predecessors 
had  had  several  b s.  This  man  (I  say)  to  take  upon  him- 
self the  power  of  opening  the  springs  of  Christ,  and  this  every 
year  ! !  Who  will  not  be  surprised  at  his  assurance,  and  at  h\s 
highest  provocation  of  the  Lord  and  his  Christ  ? 

For  my  part,  I  really  believe  that  he  openeth  the  springs  of 
the  blood  of  Christ,  and  openeth  afresh  those  wounds  of  our 
Redeemer,  not  only  every  year,  but  every  day  without  ceasing. 
This  I  do  believe,  but  not  as  they  believe  it ;  and  if  their 
doctrine  be  true  among  themselves,  by  course  they  must  agree 
with  me  in  this  saying,  that  the  pope  doth  crucify  afresh  our 
Saviour  Christ  without  ceasing.  In  the  treatise  of  vices  and 
sins,  the  Romish  divines  propose  a  question  :  utnim,  or  whether 
a  man  that  takes  upon  himself  one  of  God's  attributes,  be  a 
blasphemous  man,  and  whether  such  a  man  by  his  sins  can 
kill  God  and  Christ,  or  not  ?  As  to  the  first  part  of  the  ques- 
tion, they  all  do  agree  that  such  a  man  is  a  blasphemous  man. 
As  to  the  second  part,  some  are  of  an  opinion  that  such  an  ex- 
pression, of  killing  God,  has  no  room  in  the  question.  But  the 
greater  part  of  scholastic  and  moral  authors  do  admit  the  ex- 
pression, and  say  such  a  man  cannot  kill  God  effectively,  but 
that  he  doth  it  affectively ;  that  is  to  say,  that  willingly  taking 
upon  himself  an  attribute  of  God,  and  acting  against  his  laws, 
he  doth  affront  and  offend,  in  the  highest  degree,  that  supreme 
lawgiver;  and  by  taking  on  himself  the  office  of  a  high  priest, 
the  power  of  forgiving  sins,  which  only  belong  to  our  Saviour 
Jesus,  he  affectively  offends,  and  openeth  afresh  his  wounds 
and  the  springs  of  his  blood :  and  if  it  were  possible  for  us  to 
see  him  face  to  face,  whom  no  man  living  hath  seen  yetj  as 


94  MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

we  see  him  through  a  glass  now,  we  should  find  his  high  indig 
nation  against  such  a  man.  But  he  must  appear  before  the 
dreadful  tribunal  of  our  God,  and  be  judged  by  him  according 
to  his  deeds  :  he  shall  have  the  same  judgment  with  the  anti- 
christ, for  though  we  cannot  prove  by  the  scriptures  that  he  is 
the  antichrist,  notwithstanding  we  may  defy  antichrist  hiriiself, 
whoever  he  be,  and  whenever  he  comes,  to  do  worse  and  more 
wicked  things  than  the  pope  doth.  O,  what  a  fearful  thing  is 
it  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  living  God  !  Now  I  come  to  the 
articles  of  the  bull ;  and  first  of  all, 

1.  His  holiness  grants  a  free  and  full  indulgence  and  par 
don  of  all  their  sins  to  those  who,  upon  their  own  expenses,  go 
to,  or  serve,  personally,  in  the  war  against  the  enemies  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith ;  but  this  mast  be  understood  if  they  con 
tinue  in  the  army  the  whole  year  :  so  the  next  year  they  are 
obliged  to  take  this  bull,  and  to  continue  in  the  same  service, 
if  they  will  obtain  the  same  indulgence  and  pardon,  and  so  on 
all  their  life  time ;  for  if  they  quit  the  service,  they  cannot  en- 
joy this  benefit,  therefore,  for  sake  of  this  imaginary  pardon, 
they  continue  in  it  till  they  die,  for  otherwise  there  is  no  par- 
don of  sins. 

Let  us  observe  another  thing  in  this  article.  The  same  in- 
dulgence and  pardon  is  granted  to  those  that  die  in  the  army, 
or  going  to  the  army  before  the  expedition,  or  before  the  end 
of  the  year ;  but  this  must  be  understood  also,  if  they  die  with 
perfect  contrition  of  their  sins ;  or  if  they  do  confess  them  by 
mouth,  or,  if  they  cannot,  if  they  have  a  hearty  desire  to  confess 
them.  As  to  the  first  condition,  if  they  die  with  perfect  contri- 
tion,  no  Roman  or  Protestant  divine  will  deny  that  God  will 
forgive  such  a  man's  sins,  and  receive  him  into  his  everlasting 
favor;  so  to  such  a  man,  a  free  and  full  indulgence  and  pardon 
is  of  no  use ;  for,  without  it,  he  is  sure  to  obtain  God's  mercy 
and  forgiveness. 

As  to  the  second  condition,  or  if  they  do  confess  them  by 
mouth,  or  have  a  hearty  desire  to  do  it  ;  if  a  man  want  a  hearty 
repentance,  or  is  not  heartily  penitent  and  contrite,  what  can 
this  condition  of  confessing  by  mouth,  or  having  a  hearty  desire 
for  it,  profit  such  a  man's  soul  ?  It  being  certain  that  a  man 
by  his  open  confession  may  deceive  the  confessor  and  his  own 
soul,  but  he  cannot  deceive  God  Almighty,  who  is  the  only 
searcher  of  our  hearts.  And  if  the  Catholics  will  say  to  this, 
that  open  confession  is  a  sign  of  repentance,  we  may  answer 
them,  that  among  the  Protestants  it  is  so,  for  being  not  obliged 
to  do  It,  nor  by  the  laws  of  God,  nor  by  those  of  the  church. 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  95 

when  they  do  it,  it  is,  in  all  human  probability,  a  sure  sign  of 
repentance;  but  among-  the  Roman  Catholics,  this  is  no  argu- 
ment of  repentance,  for  very  often  their  lips  are  near  the  Lord, 
but  their  hearts  very  far  off. 

How  '^an  we  suppose  that  an  habitual  sinner,  that,  to  fulfil 
the  precepts  of  their  church,  confesses  once  a  year,  and  aftei 
it,  the  very  same  day,  falls  again  into  the  same  course  of  life  , 
how  can  we  presume,  I  say,  that  the  open  confession  of  such  a 
man  is  a  sign  of  repentance  ?  And  if  the  Roman  Catholics 
reply  to  this,  that  the  case  of  this  first  article  is  quite  difierent, 
being  only  for  those  that  die  in  the  war  with  true  contrition  and 
repentance,  or  open  confession,  or  hearty  desire  of  it ;  I  say 
that  in  this  case  it  is  the  same  as  in  others.  For,  whenever 
and  wherever  a  man  dies  truly  penitent  and  heartily  sorry  for 
his  sins,  such  a  man,  without  this  bull  and  its  indulgences  and 
pardons,  is  forgiven  by  God,  who  hath  promised  his  Holy  Spirit 
to  all  those  that  ask  it ;  and,  on  the  other  side,  if  a  man  dies 
without  repentance,  though  he  confesseth  his  sins,  he  cannot 
obtain  pardon  and  forgiveness  from  God,  and  in  such  a  case 
the  pope's  indulgences  and  pardons  cannot  free  that  man  from 
the  punishment  his  impenitent  heart  hath  deserved. 

Observe,  likewise,  that  to  all  those  warriors  against  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Romish  faith,  the  pope  grants  the  same  indulgen- 
ces which  he  grants  to  those  that  go  to  the  conquest  of  the 
holy  land,  in  the  3'ear  of  jubilee.  The  Roman  Catholics  ought 
to  consider,  that  the  greatest  favor  we  can  expect  from  God 
Almighty,  is  only  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  for  his  grace  and 
everlasting  glory  do  follow  after  it.  Then,  if  the  pope  grants 
them  free,  full,  and  general  pardon  of  their  sins  in  this  bull, 
what  need  have  they  of  the  pardons  and  indulgences,  granted 
to  those  that  go  to  the  conquest  of  the  holy  land,  and  in  the 
year  of  jubilee  ? 

But  because  few  are  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  such  in- 
dulgences and  graces  granted  in  the  year  of  jubilee,  I  must 
crave  leave  from  the  learned  people  to  say  what  1  know  in  this 
matter.  I  will  not  trouble  the  public  with  the  catalogue  of  the 
pope's  bulls,  but  I  cannot  pass  by  one  article  contained  in  one 
of  these  bulls,  which  may  be  found  in  some  libraries  of  curious 
gentlemen  and  learned  divines  of  our  church,  and  especially 
la  the  Earl  of  Sunderland's  library,  which  is  directed  to  the 
Roman  Catholics  of  England  in  these  words  :  Filii  ?nei  date 
mihi  cor  da  vestra,  et  hoc  siifficit  vohis  :  My  children,  give  me 
your  hearts,  and  this  is  sufficient.  So  by  this,  they  may  swear 
and  curse,  steal  and  murder,  and  commit  most  heinous  crime*; 


96  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

if  they  keep  their  hearts  for  the  pope,  that  is  eaough  to  be 
saved.  Observe  this  doctrine,  and  1  leave  it  to  you,  reader, 
whether  such  an  opinion  is  according  to  God's  will,  nay,  to 
natural  reason,  or  not? 

The  article  of  the  bull,  for  the  year  of  jubilee,  doth  contain 
these  words  :  If  any  Christian^  and  'professor  of  our  Catholic 
faith,  going  to  the  holy  land^  to  the  war  against  the  Turks  dJid 
Infidels,  or  in  the  year  of  jubilee  to  our  city  of  Ronie,  should 
happen  to  die  in  the  way,  we  declare  that  his  soul  goes  straight' 
way  to  heaven. 

The  preachers  of  the  holy  crusade,  in  their  circuits,  are 
careful  in  specifying,  in  their  sernaons,  all  these  graces  and  in- 
dulgences, to  encourage  the  people,  either  to  go  to  the  Vv^ar,  or 
to  make  more  bulls  than  one.  With  this  crowd  of  litanies  and 
pardons,  the  pope  blinds  the  common  people,  and  increases  his 
treasure. 

In  this  same  first  article  of  our  present  bull,  it  is  said,  that 
the  same  graces  and  indulgences  are  granted  to  all  those,  who, 
though  they  do  not  go  personally,  should  send  another  upon 
their  own  expenses  ;  and  that  if  he  be  a  cardinal,  primate, 
patriarch,  archbishop,  bishop,  son  of  a  king,  prince,  duke,  mar- 
quis, or  earl,  he  must  send  ten,  or  at  least  four  soldiers,  and 
the  rest  of  the  people  one,  or  one  between  ten. 

Observe  now,  that,  according  to  the  rules  of  their  morality 
no  man  can  merit,  by  any  involuntary  action  ;  because,  as  they 
say,  he  is  compelled  and  forced  to  it.  How  can,  then,  this 
noble  people  merit  or  obtain  such  graces  and  indulgences,  when 
they  do  not  act  voluntarily  ?  for,  if  we  mind  the  pope's  expres- 
sion, he  compels  and  forces  them  to  send  ten  soldiers,  or  at 
least  four.  They  have  no  liberty  to  the  contrary,  and  conse- 
quently they  cannot  merit  by  it. 

The  Seco7id  Article  of  this  Bull. 

The  pope  compriseth  in  this  command  of  sending  one  soldier, 
chapters,  parish  churches,  convents  of  friars,  and  monasteries 
of  nuns,  without  excepting  the  mendicant  orders ;  but  the  pope 
in  this  doth  favor  the  ecclesiastical  persons  more  than  the  laity ; 
for  as  to  the  laity,  he  says,  that  three  or  four  may  jom  together, 
and  send  one  soldier  j  and  as  to  the  ecclesiastical  persons, 
he  enlarges  this  to  ten  persons,  that,  if  between  them,  Xqxi  do 
send  one  soldier,  they  all,  and  the  person  sent  by  them,  obtain 
the  said  graces.  I  do  believe  there  is  a  great  injustice  done  to 
the  laity ;  for  these  have  families  to  maintain,  and  the  ecclesi- 
astics have  not,  and  the  greatest  part  of  the  riches  are  in  their 


MASTER-KEY  TO  rOl'ERY.  ^/ 

hands.  This  I  can  aver,  that  I  read  in  the  chronicles  of  the 
Franciscan  order,  written  by  Fr.  Anthony  Perez,  of  the  same 
order,  where,  extolling  and  praising  the  providence  of  God  up- 
on the  Franciscan  friars,  he  says,  that  the  general  of  St.  Fran- 
cis's order  doth  rule  and  govern  continually  000,000  friars  in 
Christendom,  who  having  nothing  to  Jive  upon,  God  takes  care 
of  them,  and  all  are  well  clothed  and  maintained.  There  are 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  70  different  orders,  governed 
by  70  regular  generals,  who,  after  six  years  of  command,  are 
made  either  bishops  or  cardinals.  I  say  this  by  the  by,  to  let 
the  public  know  the  great  number  of  priests  and  friars,  idle 
and  needless  people  in  that  religion;  for  if  in  one  order  only 
there  are  600,000  friars,  how  many  shall  be  found  in  70  differ- 
ent orders;  I  am  sure  if  the  pope  would  command  the  50th  part 
of  them  to  go  to  this  holy  war,  the  laity  would  be  relieved,  the 
king  would  have  a  great  deal  more  powerful  army,  and  his  do- 
minions would  not  be  so  much  embroiled  with  divisions,  nor  so 
full  of  vice  and  debauchery,  as  they  are  now. 

Tlie  Tldrd  Article, 

It  is  lawful  for  the  priests  and  friars  to  go  to  this  war  to 
preach  the  word  of  God  in  it,  or  serve,  or  help  in  it,  without  in- 
curring irregularity.  They  do  preach  and  encourage  the  sol- 
diers to  kill  the  enemies  of  their  rehgion,  and  to  make  use  of 
whatever  means  they  can  for  it;  for  in  so  doing  there  is  nc 
sin,  but  a  great  service  done  to  God. 

Out  of  this  war,  if  a  priest  strike  another  and  there  is  muti- 
lation^  or  if  he  encournge  another  to  revenge  or  murder,  he 
incurs  irregularity,  and  he  cannot  perform  any  ecclesiastical 
or  divine  service,  till  he  is  absolved  by  the  pope,  or  his  depu- 
ty: But  in  the  w'ar  against  the  enemies  of  their  religion,  nay, 
out  of  the  war  they  advise  them  to  murder  them,  as  I  have 
said  before,  and  this  without  incurring  irregularity.  O  blind- 
ness of  heart!  He  endeth  this  article  by  excusing  the  soldiers 
from  fasting  ^vhen  they  are  in  the  army,  but  not  when  they 
are  out  o/it;  a  strange  thing  that  a  man  should  command  more 
than  God.  Our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  commands  us  to  fast  from 
sin,  not  from  meat;  but  more  of  this  in  another  article. 

The  Fourth  Article. 

In  this  article  the  pope  comprise th  all  the  people,  and  puts 

them  upon  double  charges  and  expenses,  for  besides  the  con 

tribution  for  a  soldier,  every  body  must  take  the  bull  if  he  will 

obtain  the  said  graces,  and  must  give  two  reals  of  plate, i.  e- 


9**  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

thirteen  pence  half-pennj^  This  is  a  bitter  and  hard  thing  foi 
the  people :  hut  see  how  the  pope  sweetens  it.  I  grant>  besides 
the  said  graces,  to  all  thcs  i  who  should  take  this  bull  and  give 
the  charity  under  mentioned,  that  even  in  the  time  of  suspen- 
sion of  divine  and  ecclesiastical  service,  they  may  hear  and 
say  mass,  and  other  devotions,  &c.  Charity  must  be  volunta- 
ry to  be  acceptable  to  God:  How  then  can  he  call  it  charity, 
wliei.  the  people  must  pay  for  the  bull,  or  some  of  their  goods 
shall  oe  sold?  And  not  only  this,  but  that  their  corpse  cannot 
be  buried  in  sacred  ground  without  it,  as  is  expressed  in  the 
fifth  article. 

The  Sixth  Article. 

The  pope  doth  excuse  all  that  take  this  bull  not  only  from 
fasting,  but  he  gives  them  license  to  eat  flesh  in  lent  by  the 
consent  of  both  physicians  spiritual  and  temporal.  This  is, 
if  a  man  is  sick,  he  must  consult  the  physician,  whether  he 
may  eat  flesh  or  not;  and  if  the  physician  gives  his  consent, 
he  must  ask  his  father-confessor's  consent  too,  to  eat  flesh  in 
lent  and  other  days  of  ecclesiastical  prohibition.  Only  a  stu- 
pid man  will  not  find  out  the  trick  of  this  granting,  for  in  the 
first  place,  necessitas  caret  lege;  necessity  knows  no  law :  II 
a  man  is  sick,  he  is  excused  by  the  law  of  God,  naj',  by  the  law 
of  nature  from  hurtful  things,  nay,  he  is  obliged  in  conscience 
to  preserve  his  health  by  using  all  sorts  of  lawful  means. 
This  is  a  maxim  received  among  the  Romans,  as  well  as  among 
us.  What  occasion  is  there  then  of  the  pope's  and  both  physi- 
cians' license  to  do  such  a  thing?  Or  if  there  is  such  a  power 
in  the  bull,  why  doth  not  the  pope  grant  them  licence  abso- 
hitely,  without  asking  consent  of  both  physicians?  We  may 
conclude  that  such  people  must  be  blindly  superstitious,  or 
deeply  ignorant. 

But  this  great  privilege  must  be  understood  only  for  the 
laity,  not  for  the  secular,  nor  regular  priests,  except  the  car- 
dinals, who  are  not  mentioned  here,  the  knights  of  the  military 
order,  and  those  that  are  sixty  years  of  age  and  above.  But 
the  priests  and  friars  (notwithstanding  this  express  prohibition) 
if  they  have  a  mind,  evade  it  on  pretence  of  many  light  dis- 
tempers, of  the  assiduity  of  their  studies,  or  exercise  of  preach- 
ing the  lent's  sermons;  and  by  these  and  other,  as  they  think, 
weighty  reasons,  they  get  a  license  to  eat  flesh  in  lent.  So  we 
see,  that  they  v/ill  preach  to  the  people  obedience  lo  all  the 
commandments  of  the  pope,  and  they  do  disobey  them;  they 
'-T-i^ack  so,  because  they  have  private  ends  and  interests  in  so 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  99 

doing,  but  tlu.y  do  not  observe  them  themselves,  because  they 
are  against  their  inclinations,  and  without  any  profit,  and  sc 
advising  the*  people  to  mind  them,  tlicy  do  not  mind  them  tliem- 
selves 

Tlie  Seventh  and  Eighth  Articles. 

To  the  same,  the  pope  grants  fifteen  years,  and  fifteen 
quarantiiins  of  pardon,  and  all  the  penances  not  yet  performed 
by  them,  Slc.  Observe  the  ignorance  of  that  people :  the  pope 
grants  them  fifteen  years  and  fifteen  quarantains  of  pardon 
by  tliis  bull,  and  they  are  so  infatuated  that  they  take  it  every 
year;  indeed  they  cannot  desire  more  than  the  free  and  gen- 
eral pardon  of  sins ;  and  if  they  obtain  it  by  one  bull  for  fifteen 
years,  and  fifteen  quarantains,  what  need  or  occasion  have 
they  for  a  yearly  bull?  Perhaps  some  are  so  stupid  as  to  think 
to  heap  up  pardons  during  this  lile  for  the  next  world,  or  to 
leave  them  to  their  children  and  relations:  but  observe,  like- 
wise, that  to  obtain  this,  they  must  fast  for  devotion's  sake 
some  days  not  prohiliited  by  the  church.  They  really  believe, 
that  keeping  themselves  within  the  rules  of  ecclesiastical  fast- 
ing, they  merit  a  gieat  deal ;  but  God  knows,  for  as  they  say, 
the  merit  is  grounded  in  the  mortification  of  the  body,  and  by 
this  rule,  I  will  convince  them  that  they  cannot  merit  at  all. 

For  let  us  know  how  they  fast,  and  what,  and  how  they 
eat?  Now  I  will  give  a  true  account  of  their  fasting  in  gen- 
eral; the  rules  which  must  be  observed  in  a  right  fastinsj;  are 
these — In  the  morning,  it  is  allowed  by  all  the  casuistical  au- 
thors, to  drink  whatever  a  body  has  a  mind  for,  and  eat  an 
ounce  of  bread,  which  they  call  parva  materia ,  a  small  matter. 
And  as  for  the  drink,  they  follow  the  pope's  declaration  con- 
cerning chocolate.  Give  me  leave  to  acquaint  you  with  the 
case. 

When  the  chocolate  begun  tv»  be  introduced,  the  Jesuits' 
opinion  was,  that  being  a  great  nourishment,  it  could  not  be 
drunk  without  breaking  fast;  but  the  lovers  of  it  proposing  the 
case  to  the  pope,  he  ordered  to  be  brought  to  him  all  the  in- 
gredients of  which  the  chocolate  is  made,  which  being  accord- 
ingly done,  the  pope  drank  a  cup,  and  decided  the  dispute,  say- 
ing, potiis  nonfrangitjejnnium:  Liquid  doth  not  break  fasting, 
which  declaration  is  a  maxim  put  into  all  their  moral  stuns;  and 
by  it  every  body  may  lawfully  drink  as  many  cups  as  he 
pleases  and  eat  an  ounce  of  bread,  as  a  small  matter  in  the 
morning  f  and  by  the  same  rule  any  body  may  drink  a  bottle 


100  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

of  wine  oi  two,  without  breaking  his  fasting,  for  liquid  OoUl 
not  break  fasting. 

At  noon  they  may  eat  as  much  as  they  can  of  all  sorts  of 
things,  except  flesh ;  and  at  night,  it  is  allowed  not  to  sup,  but 
to  ^ke  something  by  way  of  collation :  in  this  point  of  colla- 
tion, th^  casuists  do  not  agree  together;  for  some  say  that  no- 
body can  lawfully  eat  but  eight  ounces  of  dry  and  cold  things 
as  bread,  walnuts,  raisins,  cold  fried  fishes,  and  the  like. 
Other  authors  say,  that  the  quantity  of  this  collation,  must  be 
measured  with  the  constitution  of  the  person  who  fasts;  for  if 
the  person  is  of  a  strong  constitution,  tall,  and  of  a  good  appe- 
tite, eight  ounces  are  not  enough,  and  tv/eive  must  be  allowed 
to  such  a  man,  and  so  of  the  rest.  This  is  the  form  of  their 
fasting  in  general :  though  some  few  religious  and  devout  per- 
sons eat  but  one  meal  a  day ;  nay,  some  used  to  fast  twenty-four 
hours  without  eating  any  tiling ;  but  this  is  once  in  a  year, 
which  they  call  ^fast  with  the  bells,  that  is,  in  the  holy  week, 
among  other  ceremonies,  the  Roman  Catholics  put  the  conse- 
crated host  or  wafer  in  a  rich  iirna  or  box,  on  Thursday,  at 
twelve  of  the  clock  in  the  morning ;  and  they  take  it  out  on 
Friday  at  the  same  time ;  these  tvrenty-four  hours  every  body 
is  in  mourning,  nay,  the  altars  are  veiled,  and  the  monument 
where  they  place  the  image  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  the  cross,  is 
all  covered  with  black.  The  bells  are  not  heard  all  this  while; 
and,  as  I  said,  m.any  used  to  fast  with  the  bells;  and  they 
make  use  of  this  expression  to  signify  that  they  fast  twenty- 
four  hours  without  eating  any  thing  at  all. 

From  these  we  may  easily  know  whether  their  bodies  are 
mortified  with  fasting  or  not?  For  how  can  a  man  of  sense 
sa)^,  that  he  mortifies  his  body  vvith  fasting,  when  he  drinks 
two  or  three  cups  of  chocolate,  with  a  small  toast  in  the  morn- 
ing, eats  as  much  as  he  can  at  dinner,  and  eight  ounces  at 
night :  Add  to  this,  that  he  may  sit  in  company  and  eat  a 
crust  of  bread,  and  drink  as  many  bottles  of  wine  as  he  will, 
this  is  not  accounted  collation,  because  liquid  doth  not  break 
fasting.  This  is  the  form  of  their  fasting,  and  the  rules  they 
must  observe  in  it,  and  this  is  reckoned  a  meritorious  work; 
and  therefore  doing  this,  they  obtain  tlie  said  indulgences  and 
pardons  of  this  bull. 

Observe  likewise,  that  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Spain  are 
allowed  to  eat,  in  some  days,  prohibited  by  the  church,  and 
especially  Saturdays,  the  following  things:  The  head  and 
pluck  of  a  sheep,  a  cheevelet  of  a  fowl,  and  the  like;  nay, 
they  may  boil  a  leg  of  mutton,  and  drink  the  broth  of  it.     This 


MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY.  101 

ioleration  of  eating  such  things  was  granted  by  the  pope  to 
king  Ferdinand,  who  being  in  a  warm  war  against  tlic  Moors, 
the  soldiers  suffered  very  much  in  the  days  of  fiisting  for 
want  of  fish,  and  other  things  eatable  for  such  days;  and  for 
this  reason  the  pope  granted  him  and  his  army  license  to  eat 
the  abovementioned  things  on  Saturdays,  and  other  days  of 
fiisting  commanded  by  the  church ;  and  this  ^\  as  in  the  year 
1479.  But  this  toleration  only  to  the  army  was  introduced 
among  the  country  people,  especially  in  both  Old  and  New 
Caslilla,  and  tliis  custom  is  become  a  law  among  them.  But 
this  is  not  so  in  oiher  provinces  of  Spain,  where  the  common 
people  have  not  the  liberty  of  eating  such  things;  among  the 
quality  only  those  that  have  a  particular  dispensation  from 
the  pope  for  them  and  their  families. 

There  is  an  order  of  friars,  called  La  orden  de  la  victoria, 
the  order  of  the  victory,  whose  first  founder  was  St.  Francis 
de  Paula;  and  the  Friars  are  prohibited  by  the  rules,  statutes 
and  constitution  of  the  order,  to  eat  flesh;  nay,  this  prohibi- 
tion stands  in  force  during  their  lives,  as  it  is  among  the  Car- 
thusians, who,  though  in  great  sickness,  cannot  eat  any  thing 
of  flesh;  but  this  must  be  understood  within  the  convent's 
gate;  for  when  they  go  abroad  they  may  eat  any  thing  with- 
out tranfrressinj]r  the  statute  of  the  order. 

But  the  pleasantness  of  their  practices  will  show  the  trici^s 
of  that  religion.  As  to  the  victorian  friars,  I  knew  in  Sar- 
agossa,  one  father  Conchillos,  profcsgor  of  divinity  in  his  con- 
vent, learned  in  their  way,  but  a  pleasant  companion.  He 
was,  by  his  daily  exercise  of  the  public  lecture,  confined  to 
his  convent  every  dny  in  the  afternoon;  but  as  soon  as  the 
lecture  was  over,  his  thought  and  care  was  to  divert  himself 
with  music,  gaming,  &,c.  One  evening,  having  given  me 
an  invitation  to  his  room,  I  went  accordingly,  and  there  was 
nothing  wanting  of  all  sorts  of  recreation,  music,  cards, 
comedy,  and  very  good  merry  company.  We  went  to  supper, 
which  was  composed  of  nice,  delicate,  eatable  things,  both  of 
flesh  and  fish,  and  for  the  dessert  the  best  sweatmeats.  But 
observing,  at  supper,  that  my  good  Conchillos  used  to  take  a 
leg  of  partridge  and  go  to  the  wmdow,  and  come  agaii\  and 
take  a  wing  of  a  fowl,  and  do  the  same,  I  asked  him  whetlier 
he  had  some  beggar  in  the  street,  to  whom  he  threw  the  leg 
and  wingf  No,  said  he  to  me.  What  then  do  you  do  with 
ihem  out  of  the  window?  What,  said  he;  I  cannot  eat  flesh 
within  the  walls,  but  the  statute  of  my  order  doth  not  forbid 
me  to  eat  it  without  the  walls;  and  so,  whenever  we  have  a 
i2 


102  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

fancy  for  it,  we  may  eat  flesh,  putting  our  heads  out  of  the 
window.  Thus  they  give  a  turn  to  the  law,  but  a  turn  agree- 
able to  them :  And  so  they  do  in  all  their  fastings,  and  absti- 
nences from  flesh. 

As  to  the  Carthusians,  and  their  abstinence  and  fasting,  I 
could  say  a  great  deal,  but  am.  afraid  I  should  swell  this  trea- 
tise beyond  its  designed  length,  if  I  should  amuse  you  with  an 
account  of  all  their  ridiculous  ways.  This  I  cannot  pass  by, 
Coy  it  conduces  very  much  to  clearing  this  point  of  abstinence 
»nd  fasting.     The  order  of  this  constitution  is — 

First :  A  continual  abstinence  from  flesh ;  and  this  is  observed 
so  severely  and  strictly,  that  I  knew  a  friar,  who,  being  dan- 
gerously ill,  the  physicians  ordered  to  apply,  upon  his  head,  a 
young  pigeon,  opened  alive  at  the  breast ;  which  being  propo- 
sed by  the  prior  to  the  whole  community,  they  were  of  opin- 
ion that  such  a  remedy  was  against  the  constitution,  and 
therefore  not  fit  to  be  used  any  way:  That  these  poor  friars 
must  die  rather  than  touch  any  fleshly  thing,  though  it  be  for 
the  preserving  their  health. 

Secondly.  Perpetual  silence  and  confinement  is  the  next 
precept  of  St.  Brune,  their  founder:  That  is,  that  the  friars 
cannot  go  abroad  out  of  the  convent,  or  garden  walls,  only  the 
prior  and  procuratoi*  may  gp  upon  business  of  the  community. 
The  rest  of  the  friars'  lives  are  thus :  Each  of  them  has  an 
apartment  with  a  room,  bed-chamber,  kitchen,  cellar,  closet  to 
keep  fruit  in,  a  garden,  with  a  well,  and  a  place  in  it  for  firing. 
Next  to  the  door  of  the  apartment  there  is  a  wheel  in  the  wall, 
which  serves  to  put  the  victuals  in  at  noon,  and  at  night,  and 
the  friar  turns  the  wheel,  and  takes  his  dinner  and  supper,  and 
in  the  morning  he  puts  in  the  wheel  the  plates,  by  which  the 
servant,  that  carries  the  victuals,  knows  they  are  in  good 
health;  p.nd  if  he  finds  the  victuals  again,  he  acquaints  the  fa- 
ther prior  with  it,  who  straight  goes  to  visit  them.  The  prior 
hath  a  master-key  of  all  the  rooms,  for  the  friars  are  obliged 
to  lock  the  door  on  the  inside,  and  to  keep  the  room  always 
shut,  except  when  they  go  to  say  mass  in  the  morning,  and  to 
say  the  canonical  hours  in  the  day  time ;  then  if  they  meet  one 
another,  they  can  say  no  other  words  but  these :  One  says, 
Brother,  we  must  die ;  and  the  other  answers,  We  know  it. 
Only  on  Thursday,  betv/een  three  and  four  in  the  afternoon, 
they  meet  together  for  an  hour's  time,  and  if  it  be  fair  weath- 
er, they  go  to  walk  in  the  garden  of  the  convent,  and  if  not,  in 
the  common  hall,  Vvhere  they  cannot  talk  of  other  things,  but 
of  the  lives  of  such  or  such  a  saint;  and  v/hcn  the  hour  is  over. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  103 

every  one  goes  to  his  own  chamber.  So  they  obierve  fasting 
and  silence  continually,  but  except  flesh,  they  eat  the  most  ex- 
quisite and  delicate  things  in  the  world ;  for  commonly  in  one 
convent  there  are  but  twenty  friars,  and  there  is  not  one  con- 
vent of  Carthusians,  which  hath  not  five,  six,  and  many,  twen- 
ty thousand  pistoles  of  yearly  rent. 

Such  is  their  fasting  from  flesh  and  conversation;  but  let  us 
know  their  fasting  from  sins. 

Dr.  Peter  Bernes,  secular  priest,  belonging  to  the  parish 
church  of  the  blessed  Mary  Magdalene,  (as  they  do  call  her,) 
being  32  years  of  age,  and  dangerously  ill,  made  a  vow  to  the 
glorious  saint,  that  if  he  should  recover  from  that  sickness, 
he  would  retire  into  a  Carthusian  convent.  He  recovered, 
and  accordingly,  renouncing  his  benefice  and  the  world,  he 
took  the  Carthusian  habit,  in  the  convent  of  the  Conception, 
three  miles  from  Saragossa.  For  the  space  of  three  years  he 
gave  proofs  of  virtue  and  singular  conformity  with  the  statutes 
of  the  order.  His  strict  life  was  so  crowded  with  disciplines 
and  mortifications,  that  the  prior  gave  out,  in  the  city,  that  he 
was  a  saint  on  earth.  I  went  to  see  him  with  the  father  prior's 
consent,  and  indeed  I  thought  there  was  something  extraor- 
dinary in  his  countenance,  and  in  his  words;  and  I  had  taken 
him  myself  for  a  man  ready  to  work  miracles.  Many  people 
went  to  see  him,  and  among  the  crowd  a  young  woman,  ac- 
quainted with  him  before  he  took  the  habit,  who  unknown  to 
the  strict  friars  got  into  his  chamber,  and  there  she  was  kept 
by  the  pious  father  eighteen  months.  In  that  time  the  prior 
used  to  visit  the  chamber,  but-the  Senorawas  kept  in  the  bed- 
chamber, till  at  last  the  prior  went  one  night  to  consult  him 
upon  some  business,  and  hearing  a  child  cry,  asked  him  what 
jvas  the  matter;  and  though  my  friend  Bernes  endeavored  to 
conceal  the  case,  the  prior  found  it  out;  and  she,  owning  the 
thing,  was  turned  out  with  the  child,  and  the  father  was  con- 
fined for  ever :  And  this  was  his  virtue,  fasting  and  abstinence 
from  flesh,  &c. 

To  those  that  either  fast  in  the  abovesaid  manner,  or  kero 
fasting  for  devotion's  sake,  his  holiness  grants,  (taking  this  bull 
S)f  crusade)  all  the  said  graces,  pardons  and  indulgences;  and 
really,  if  such  graces  were  of  some  use  or  benefit,  *he  people 
thus  doing,  want  them  very  much;  or  may  be,  the  pope  know- 
ing these  practices,  doth  this  out  of  pity  and  compassion  for 
their  souls,  without  thinking  that  this  bull  is  a  great  encour- 
aiicment  and  incitement  to  sin. 


lOi  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPER\. 

The  Ninth  Article. 
This  article  contains,  first,  that  to  pray  with  more  purity 
every  body  taking  this  bull  may  choose  a  confessor  to  his  own 
fancy,  who  is  empowered  to  absolve  sins,  except  the  crime  of 
heresy,  reserved  to  the  pope,  or  apostolical  see.  You  must 
know  what  they  mean  by  the  crime  heresy.  Salazar  Irribar- 
ren  and  Corolla,  treating  of  the  reserved  sins,  say,  that  the 
crime  of  heresy  is,  viz. :  If  I  am  all  alone  in  my  room,  and  the 
door  being  locked  up,  talking  to  myself  j  I  say,  I  do  not  believe 
in  God,  or  in  the  pope  of  Rome,  this  is  heresy.  They  distin- 
guish two  sorts  of  heresies ;  one  interna,  and  another  externa, 
that  is,  public  and  secret.  The  public  heresy,  such  as  that  I 
have  now  told  you  of,  nobody  can  absolve,  but  the  pope  him- 
self. The  second  being  only  in  thought,  every  body  can  ab- 
solve, being  licensed  by  the  bishop,  by  the  benefit  of  this  bull. 
So,  whoever  pronounces  the  pope  is  not  infaUible :  the  English 
or  protestants  may  be  saved :  The  Virgin  Mary  is  not  to  be 
prayed  to :  The  priest  hath  not  pov/er  to  bring  down  from 
heaven  J.  C.  with  fiv^e  words:  Such  an  one  is  a  public  heretic, 
and  he  must  go  to  Rome,  if  he  desireth  to  get  absolution. 

Secondly.  This  article  contains,  that  by  the  benefit  of  this 
bull,  every  body  may  be  free  from  restitution,  during  his  own 
life ;  and  that  he  may  make  it  by  his  heirs  after  his  death.  O 
what  an  unnatural  thing  is  this  I  What,  if  I  take  away  from 
my  neighbor  three  hundred  pounds,  which  is  all  he  hath  in  the 
world  to  maintain  his  family,  must  I  be  free  from  this  restitu- 
tion, and  leave  it  to  my  heir's  will  to  make  it  after  my  death? 
Must  I  see  my  neighbor's  family  suffer  by  it;  and  can  I  be  free 
before  God,  of  a  thing  that  God,  nature  and  humanity,  require 
of  me  to  do?  Indeed  this  is  a  diabolical  doctrine.  Add  to  this 
what  I  have  said  of  the  bull  of  composition,  that  is,  if  you  take 
so  many  bulls  to  compound  the  matter  with  your  confessor, 
you  will  be  free  forever  from  making  restitution:  But  really 
you  shall  not  be  free  from  the  eternal  punishment. 

Likewise,  by  the  power  of  this  bull,  any  confessor  may 
commute  any  vow,  except  those  of  chastity,  religion,  and  be- 
yond seas:  13ut  this  is  upon  condition  that  they  should  give 
something  for  the  crusade.  O  God,  what  an  expression  is 
thisl  To  commute  any  vow,  except  those  of  chastity,  &c.  So, 
if  I  make  a  vow  to  kill  a  man,  if  I  promise  upon  oath  to  rob 
my  neighbor,  the  confessor  may  commute  me  these  vows,  for 
-sixpence:  But  if  I  vow  to  keep  chastity,  I  must  go  to  Rome, 
to  the  pope  himself.  What  an  expression  is  this !  I  say  again, 
aow  many   millions  have  vowed  chastity  ?     If  I  say  two  mik' 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POrERY.  105 

lions  I  shall  noi  lie.  And  how  njany  of  these  two  millions 
observe  it?  If  I  say  five  hundred,  I  shall  not  lie.  And  for  all 
this,  we  see  nobody  go  to  Rome  for  absolution. 

The  Roman  Catholics  will  say,  that  by  these  words,  void  of 
chastity,  must  be  only  understood  abstaining  from  marriage; 
but  I  will  leave  it  to  any  man  of  reason,  whether  the  nature 
of  chastity  compriseth  only  that?  Or  let  me  ask  the  Roman 
Catholics,  whether  a  priest,  who  has  made  a  vow  of  chastity, 
that  is,  never  to  marry,  if  he  commits  the  sins  of  the  flesh,  will 
be  accounted  chaste  or  not?  They  will,  and  must  say,  not. 
Then,  if  so  many  thousands  of  priests  live  lewdly,  breaking 
the  vow  of  chastity,  why  do  they  not  go  to  the  pope  for  abso- 
lution?  To  this  they  never  can  answer  me;  therefore  the 
pope,  in  this  bull,  doth  blind  them,  and  the  priests  do  what 
tliey  please,  and  only  the  common  people  are  imposed  upon, 
and  suffer  by  it.  God  Almighty,  by  his  infmitc  power,  en- 
lighten them  all,  that  so  the  priests  may  be  more  sincere,  and 
the  people  less  darkened. 

77ie  Tenth  Article. 

The  pope  grants  the  same  indulgences  to  those  that  should 
die  suddenly,  if  they  die  heartily  sorry  for  their  sins.  Of  this 
1  have  spoken  already,  and  said,  that  if  a  man  dies  truly  peni- 
tent he  hatli  no  occasion  for  the  pope's  pardon,  for  his  true  pen- 
itence hath  more  interest  (if  I  may  thus  express  myself)  with 
(iod  Almighty,  than  the  pope  with  all  his  infallibility.  So  I 
proceed  to  the  next,  which  is 

The  Eleventh  Article. 
In  this  article  the  pope  grants  besides  the  said  indulgences, 
to  those  that  take  this  bull,  that  they  may  twice  more  in  the 
same  year  be  absolved  of  all  their  sins,  of  what  nature  soever 
once  more  during  their  lives,  and  once  more  at  the  point  of 
death.  This  is  a  bold  saying,  and  fall  of  assurance,  O  poor 
blind  people!  Where  have  you  your  eyes  or  understanding? 
Mind,  I  pray,  for  the  light  of  5'our  consciences,  this  impudent 
way  of  deceiving  you,  and  go  along  with  me.  The  pope  bag 
granted  you,  in  the  aforesaid  articles,  all  you  can  wish  for,  and 
now  again,  he  grants  you  a  nonsensical  privilege,  viz.  that 
you  may  twice  at  the  point  of  death,  be  absolved  of  all  your 
sins.  Observe,  passing  by,  that  a  simple  priest,  who  hath  not 
been  license/!  by  the  ordinary  to  hear  confessions,  upon  urgent 
necessity,  i    e.  upon  the  point  of  death    '^s  allowed  by  all 


10f»  >IA8TER-KEY  TO  rOPERY. 

the  ousuistical  authors,  nay,  by  the  councils,  to  absolve  all 
sins  whatsoever,  if  there  be  not  present  another  licensed 
priest.  Again,  nobody  can  get  such  an  absolution,  as  is  ex- 
pressed in  this  bull,  but  at  the  point  of  his  soul's  departing 
from  the  body,  i.  e.  when  there  is  no  hope  of  recovery;  and 
the  confessors  are  so  careful  in  this  point,  that  sometimes,  they 
begin  to  pronounce  the  absolution,  when  a  man  is  alive,  and 
he  is  dead  before  they  finish  the  words. 

Now  pray  tell  me  how  can  a  man  be  twice  in  such  a  point?  , 
And  if  he  got  once  as  much,  as  he  cannot  get  the  second  time, 
vhat  occasion  hath  he  for  the  second  full,  free,  and  plenary 
'.idulgence,  and  absolution  of  all  his  sins?  I  must  stop  here, 
for  if  I  was  to  tell  freely  my  opinion  upon  this  point,  some  will 
think  I  do  it  out  of  some  private  ends ;  which  I  never  do  upon 
delivering  matters  of  fact. 

The  Twelfth  Article. 

Here  the  most  holy  father  gives  his  power  and  authority  to 
the  general  apostolical  commissary  of  the  crusade,  and  all  oth- 
er graces  and  faculties,  to  revoke  and  suspend  all  the  graces 
and  indulgences  granted  in  this  bull,  by  his  holiness,  during 
the  year  of  publishing  it;  and  not  only  to  suspend  them  upon 
any  restriction  or  limitation,  but  absolutely,  though  this,  or  any 
other  bull,  or  brief  of  indulgences,  granted  by  this  or  other 
popes,  did  contain  words  contrary  to  it,  viz:  Suppose  if  Clem- 
ent, or  another  pope,  should  say,  I  grant  to  such  an  one  such 
faculties,  and  I  anathematize  all  those  that  should  attempt  to 
suspend  the  said  faculties.  This  last  expression  would  be  of 
no  force  at  all,  because  this  bull  specifies  the  contrary. 

So  it  is  a  thing  very  remarkable,  that  the  pope  dispossesseth 
himself  by  this  bull,  of  all  his  power  and  authority,  and  giveth 
it  to  the  general  apostolical  commissary,  insomuch  that  the 
apostolical  commissary  hath  more  power  than  the  pope  him- 
self, during  the  year :  and  this  power  and  authority  is  renew- 
ed and  confirmed  to  him  by  his  holiness.  And  not  only  he 
has  this  power  over  the  pope,  but  over  all  the  popes,  and  their 
briefs,  in  whatsoever  time  granted  to  any  place,  or  person 
whatsoever.  For  it  is  in  the  apostolical  commissary's  power 
to  suspend  all  graces  and  privileges  whatsoever,  granted  since 
the  first  pope  began  to  grant  indulgences,  which  things  are  all 
inconsistent  with  the  independency  and  supremacy  of  the  ho- 
ly father,  nay,  according  to  the  principles  and  sentiments  of 
tlie'r  own  authors,  but  we  see  they  are  consistent  with  th^ir 
blindness  and  ignorance. 


MASTEP.-KEY  TO  POPERY.  107 

The  Thirteenth  Article. 
This  ar\.i  Aq  showeth  us  plainly  the  reason,  why  the  pope 
acts  thus  in  granting  of  his  power  to  the  general  apostolical 
commissary  of  the  crusade,  for  he  grants  him  authority  to  le- 
voke  and  suspend  all  the  indulgences  here  granted  by  hnnself 
and  other  popes,  but  he  grants  him  the  same  authority  to  call 
again  the  very  same  indulgences,  and  to  make  them  good 
again.  And  next  to  this  power  (observe  this)  he  grants  him 
and  his  deputies  power  to  li\  and  settle  the  price  or  charity, 
the  people  ought  to  give  for  the  bull.  This  is  the  whole  mat- 
ter, and  we  may  use  the  English  saying,  No  cure,  no  pai/, 
quite  reverse,  No  pay,  no  cure,  no  indulgence  nor  pardon  of 
sins.  The  treasure  of  the  church  (being  a  spiritual  gift)  can- 
not be  sold  for  money,  without  Simony.  And  if  the  Romans 
say  that  the  j)ope  has  that  power  derived  from  Christ,  or  giv- 
en gratis  to  him,  let  them  mind  the  words :  Quod  gratis  acce- 
pistis,  gratis  date.  If  the  pope  paycth  nothing  for  having 
such  power,  if  he  has  it  gratis,  why  does  he  sell  it  to  the  faith- 
ful? Can  a  private  man,  or  his  deputy  put  a  price  on  a  spir- 
itual thing?     O  blindness  of  heart! 

The  Fourteenth  Article. 
In  this  article  the  general  apostolical  commissary  makes 
use  of  his  power  and  authority,  he  says,  In  favor  of  this  holt; 
bull,  we  do  suspend,  during  the  year,  all  the  graces,  indulgen- 
ces, and  faculties  of  this,  or  any  other  kind,  <Sfc.  Though 
they  he  in  favor  of  the  building  of  St.  Feter''s  church  at  Rome. 
£jxccpt  only  from  this  suspension  the  privileges  granted  to  the 
superiors  of  the  mendicant  orders.  He  excewLs  only  from  this 
suspension  the  privileges  of  the  fcurmendic:;iit  orders,  because 
the  friars  of  those  orders,  being  mendican  s  or  beggars,  they 
can  be  no  great  hindrance  of  this  project.  I  ask  my  coun- 
jymen  this  question:  If  Dn.  Francis  Anthony  Ramirez  has 
such  a  power,  to  do  and  undo,  in  despite  of  the  pope,  whatev- 
er he  pleases  for  a  whole  year;  and  this  power  is  renewed  to 
him  every  year,  by  a  fresh  bull;  of  what  use  is  the  pope  in 
Spain?  And  if  he  has  resigned  his  authority  to  Don  Ramirez, 
why  do  they  send  every  year  to  Rome  for  privileges,  dispen- 
sations, faculties,  bulls,  &c.,  and  throw  their  money  away? 
If  Ramirez  has  power  to  stop,  and  make  void  any  concession 
by  the  pope,  what  need  have  they  for  so  great  trouble  and  ex- 
pense ?  is  not  t  lis  a  great  stupidity  ar>d  infatuity  ?  Observ« 
the  next  article. 


108  5D4  3TER-KEYTa  POPERY. 

The  Fifteenth  Ariiclc. 

All  those  prohibitions  and  suspensions  aforementioned,  are 
only  to  obi  ige  the  people  to  take  the  bull ;  for  the  general  apos- 
tolical commissary  says :  We  declare  that  all  those  that  take 
this  bull,  do  obtain  and  enjoy  all  the  graces,  and  faculties,  S^c. 
which  have  been  granted  by  the  popes  Paul  the  ijth,  and  tlr- 
lanus  the  8th,  S^c.  So  if  a  poor  man  takes  no  bull,  though  he 
be  heartily  penitent,  there  is  no  pardon  for  him.  I  say,  there 
is  no  pardon  for  him  from  the  pope  and  his  commissary,  but 
there  is  surely  pardon  for  him  from  God ;  and  he  is  in  a  better 
way  than  all  the  bigots  that  take  the  bull,  thinking  to  be  free 
by  it  from  all  their  sins. 

Observe  also  the  last  words  of  this  article :  We  command 
that  every  body  that  takes  this  bull,  be  obliged  to  keep  by  him 
the  same,  uahich  is  here  printed,  signed  and  sealed  with  our 
name  and  seal;  and  that  otherwise  they  cannot  obtain,  nor  en- 
joy the  beneft  of  the  said  bull.  This  is  a  cheat,  robbery,  and 
roguery;  for  the  design  of  the  general  apostolical  commissary 
is,  to  oblige  them  to  take  another  bull.  The  custom  is,  that 
when  they  take  every  year  a  new  bull,  they  ought  to  show  the 
old  one,  or  else  they  must  take  two  that  year.  Now  let  us 
suppose  that  all  the  contents  of  the  bull  are  as  efficacious  as 
the  bigots  do  believe  them  to  be.  A  man  takes  the  bull,  pays 
for  it,  and  performs  and  fulfilleth  the  contents  of  it.  Is  not  this 
enough  to  enjoy  all  the  graces,  &c?  What  is  the  meaning 
then  of  commanding  to  keep  the  same  bull  by  them,  but  a 
cheat,  robbery,  and  roguery?  I  do  not  desire  better  proof  of 
this  than  what  the  commissary  afibrds  me  in  his  following 
words,  by  which  he  contradicts  himself.  He  says,  and  where- 
as you  (speaking  with  Peter  Dezuloaga,  who  was  the  man 
that  took  the  bull  which  was  left  at  the  publisher's  shop)  have 
given  two  reals  of  plate,  and  have  taken  this  bull,  and  your 
name  is  icritten  in  it,  we  declare  that  you  have  already  obtain- 
ed and  are  granted  the  said  indulgences,  <S^^c.  And  that  you 
may  enjoy  and  make  use  of  them,  S^c. 

If  he  has  already  obtained  all,  of  what  use  may  it  be  to  keep 
the  bull  by  him?  How  can  the  commissary  make  these  ex- 
pressions agree  together?  1st.  If  he  doth  not  keep  the  bullby 
him,  he  cannot  enjoy  the  benefit  of  the  bull.  2d.  As  soon  as 
he  takes  it,  he  has  already  obtained  all  the  graces,  S^c,  and 
enjoys  the  benefit  of  the  bidl.  These  are  two  quite  contrary 
-nings.  Then  the  design  in  the  first  is  robbery  and  rogueryi 
and  in  the  second,  cheat,  fraud,  and  deceit. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  109 

Refleo ,  again :  Whereas  you  have  taken  the  hull  and  paid 
^or  it,  you  have  already  obtained  all  the  indtdgences  an  i  par 
don  oj  sins.  By  this  declaration,  infallible  to  the  Romans,  let 
a  man  come  from  committing  murder,  adultery,  sacrilege,  &c 
if  he  takes  and  pays  for  the  bull,  his  sins  are  already  pardon- 
ed. Is  not  this  a  scandalous  presumption?  If  a  man  is  in  a 
state  of  sin,  and  has  no  repentance  in  his  heart,  how  can  such 
a  man  be  pardoned  at  so  cheap  a  rate  as  two  reals  of  plate? 
If  this  was  sure  and  certain,  the  whole  world  would  embrace 
their  religion,  for  they  then  would  be  sure  of  their  salvation. 
Again,  if  they  believe  this  bull  to  be  true,  how  can  they  doubt 
of  their  going  to  heaven  immediately  after  death  ?  For  a  man, 
whose  sins  are  pardoned,  goes  straightway  to  heaven;  so  if 
the  sins  of  all  men  and  women  (for  every  body  takes  the  bulP 
are  pardoned  by  it,  and  consequently  go  to  heaven,  why  do 
they  set  up  a  purgatory?  or  why  are  they  afraid  of  hell? 

Let  us  say,  that  wo  may  suspect,  that  this  bull  sends  more 
people  into  hell,  than  it  can  save  from  it;  for  it  is  the  greatest 
encouragement  to  sin  in  the  world.  A  man  says,  I  may  satisfy 
my  lusts  and  passions,  I  may  commit  all  wickedness,  and  yet 
I  am  sure  to  be  pardoned  of  all,  by  the  taking  of  this  bull  for 
two  reals  of  plate.  By  the  same  rule,  their  consciences  can- 
not be  under  any  remorse  nor  trouble,  for  if  a  man  commits  a 
great  sin,  he  goes  to  confess,  he  gets  absolution,  he  has  by 
him  this  bull,  or  permission  to  sin,  and  his  conscience  is  at 
perfect  case,  insomuch  that  after  he  gets  absolution,  he  may 
go  and  commit  new  sins,  and  go  again  for  absolution. 

If  we  press  with  these  reflections  and  arguments  the  Ro- 
•  man  catholic  priests,  especially  those  of  good  sense,  they  will 
answer  that  they  do  not  believe  any  such  thing;  for  if  a  man 
(say  they)  doth  not  repent  truly  of  his  sins,  he  is  not  pardon- 
ed by  God,  though  he  be  absolved  by  the  confessor.  Well,  if 
it  be  so,  why  does  the  pope,  by  his  general  apostolical  commis- 
sary, say.  Whereas  you  have  tahen  and  paid  for  this  bull, 
you  have  already  obtained  pardon  for  your  sins,  Sec.  We 
must  come  then  to  say,  ffiat  the  cheat,  fraud,  and  deceit  is  in 
the  pope,  and  that  Don  Ramirez  is  the  pope's  instrument  to  im- 
pose so  grossly  upon  the  poor  Spaniards.  The  cor/essor  grants 
free  and  full  indulgence  and  pardon  of  all  sins,  and  of  all  the 
pains  ""nd  punishments  which  the  penitent  was  obliged  to  en- 
dure for  them  in  purgatory.  By  virtue  of  this  absolution  then, 
we  may  say,  no  soul  goes  to  purgatory  especially  out  of  the 
dominions  of  the  king  of  Spain,  for  as  I  said,  in  the  beginning 
«f  the  explanation  of  the  bull,  every  living  so!il,  froffi  seveu 

K 


110  MASTER-KEY    TO   POPERY. 

years  of  age  and  upwards,  is  obliged  to  take  the  bull,  and  con 
sequently,  if  every  soul  obtains  the  grant  of  being  paidoned  of 
all  the  pains  which  they  were  to  endure  and  suffer  in  purgato- 
ry, all  go  to  heaven.     Why  do  the  priests  ask  masses,  and  say 
them  for  the  relief  of  the  souls  in  purgatory. 

Let  us  from  these  proceed  to  the  sum  of  the  estations  and 
indulgences  granted  to  the  city  of  Home,  which  the  pope 
grants  likev^'ise  to  all  those  that  take  the  bull,  and  fulfil  ',he 
contents  of  it. 

Estations,  in  this  place,  signify  the  going  from  one  church 
to  another,  in  remembrance  of  Christ's  being,  or  remaining  so 
long  on  Mount  Calvary,  so  long  in  the  garden,  so  long  on  the 
cross,  so  long  in  the  sepulchre. 

We  call  also  estations,  or  to  walk  the  estations,  to  go  from 
the  first  cross  to  the  mount  Calvary,  &c.  This  is  a  new  thing 
to  many  of  this  kingdom,  therefore,  a  plain  account  of  that  cus- 
tom among  the  Romans,  will  not  be  amiss  in  this  place. 

There  is  in  every  city,  town  and  village,  a  mount  Calvary 
out  of  the  gates,  in  remembrance  of  the  Calvary  where  our 
Saviour  was  crucified.  There  are  fourteen  crosses  placed  at 
a  distance  one  from  another.  The  first  cross  is  out  of  the 
gates,  and  from  the  first  to  the  second,  the  Romans  reckon  so 
many  steps  or  paces,  more  or  less  from  the  second  to  the  third, 
and  so  on  from  one  to  another  of  the  remaining,  till  they  como 
to  the  twelfth  cross,  which  is  in  the  middle  of  two  crosses,  which 
represent  two  crosses  which  the  two  malefactors  were  crucified 
on  each  side  of  Christ.  They  walk  these  twelve  estations  in 
remembrance  of  all  the  steps  and  paces  our  Saviour  walked 
from  the  gates  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  to  mount  Calvary, 
where  he  was  crucified.  In  the  first  estation,  you  will  see  the 
image  of  Jesus,  with  the  cross  on  his  shoulders,  in  the  second, 
falling  down,  &lc.  In  the  last  cross,  our  last  estation  of  the 
three  crosses,  Jesus  is  represented  crucified  between  two  mal- 
efactors. 

Every  Friday  in  the  year,  the  devout  people  walk  the  esta- 
tions, and  kneel  down  before  every  cross,  and  say  so  many 
pater  nostcrs,  &lc.,  and  a  prayer  for  the  meditation  of  what 
did  happen  to  our  Jesus  at  that  distance.  When  the  weather 
hinders  the  people  from  going  to  the  great  Calvary,  they  have 
another  in  every  church,  and  in  the  cloisters  of  the  convents, 
and  monasteries,  and  they  walk  the  estations  there,  and  espe- 
cially in  lent,  there  is  such  a  crowd  of  people  every  Friday  in 
the  afternoon,  that  there  is  scarcely  room  enough  in  the  high 
way  for  all  to  kneel  down. 


MASTER-KEY   TO   POPEKY.  HI 

On  good  Friday  in  the  evening,  is  the  great  procesficn,  af. 
which  almost  all  the  people  assist  with  lanterns  in  their  hands 
llie  people,  both  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  go  to  church 
in  the  afternoon.  The  parish  minister,  dressed  in  a  surplice, 
and  a  sacerdotal  cloak  on,  and  a  square  black  cap  on  his  head, 
and  the  rest  of  the  clergy  in  their  surplices,  and  the  reverend 
father  preacher  in  his  habit.  This  last  begins  a  short  exhort- 
ation to  the  people,  recommending  to  them  devotion,  humility, 
and  meditation  of  our  Saviour's  sufferings;  after  he  has  done, 
the  prior  of  the  fraternity  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  ordereth  the 
procession  in  this  manner:  First  of  all,  at  the  head  of  it,  a  man 
in  a  surplice,  carrieth  the  cross  of  the  parish,  and  two  boys  on 
each  side,  with  two  high  lanterns,  immediately  after  begins  the 
first  estation  of  our  Saviour,  painted  in  a  standard,  which  one 
of  the  fraternity  carrieth,  and  the  brethren  of  that  estation 
follow  him  in  two  lines:  and  the  twelve  estations  ordered  in 
the  same  manner,  follow  one  another.  After  the  estations, 
there  is  a  man  representing  Jesus  Christ,  dressed  in  a  Tunica 
or  a  Nazarine's  gown,  with  a  crown  of  thorns  on  his  head,  that 
carrieth  on  his  shoulders  a  long,  heavy  cross,  and  another  man, 
representing  Simon,  of  Cirenc,  behind  helps  the  Nazarine  tc 
carry  the  Cross.  After  him  the  preacher,  clergy,  and  parish 
minister,  and  after  them  all  the  people,  without  keeping  any 
form  or  order.  Thus  the  procession  goes  out  of  the  church, 
singing  a  proper  song  of  the  passion  of  Jesus;  and  when  they 
come  to  the  first  cross  of  the  estations  of  Calvary,  the  proces 
sion  stops  there,  and  the  preacher  makes  an  exhortation,  and 
tells  what  our  Saviour  did  suffer  till  that  first  step,  and  making 
the  same  exhortations  in  each  of  the  eleven  crosses;  when 
they  come  at  the  twelfth,  the  preacher,  on  the  foot  of  the  cross 
which  is  placed  between  the  two  crosses  of  the  malefactors, 
begins  the  sermon  of  the  passion  and  sufferings  of  Christ,  and 
when  he  has  done,  the  procession  comes  back  again  to  the 
church,  and  there  the  preacher  dismisses  the  people  with  an 
act  of  contrition,  which  the  people  repeat  after  him. 

These  are  the  estations  of  the  holy  Calvary;  but  besides 
these  the  estations  of  the  holy  sepulchre;  that  is,  to  visit  seven 
churches,  or  seven  times  one  church, on  holy  Thursday,  v.hen 
fesus  is  in  the  monument; — but  of  these  things  I  shall  treat  m 
another  place. 

Now,  by  these  foregoing  indulgences,  and  full  pardon  of 
sins,  the  pope  does  not  grant  to  all  those  that  take  the  bull,  and 
fulfil  the  contents  of  it  (which  are  only  to  pay  for  it)  any  body 
•nay  easily  know  a  list  of  the  days  in  which  any  one  that  vii^ita 


112  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

the  churches  mentioned  in  it  enjoys  at  Rome  all  the  aforesaid 
faculties,  pardon  of  sins,  and  indulgences,  and  as  you  may  ob« 
serve,  at  the  end  of  the  summario,  that  every  day  of  the  year, 
there  are,  at  Rome,  many  iiKlulgences  and  pardons  granted  in 
some  church  or  other  to  all  those  that  go  to  visit  them.  So  by 
the  grant  of  the  pope,  in  the  bull  of  Crusade,  the  same  indul- 
gences and  pardons  are  given,  and  in  the  same  day)  that  is 
every  day  of  the  year)  tu  all  those  that  take  the  bull.  From 
this  any  body  may  draw  the  same  consequence  as  before,  that 
a  man  cannot  be  afraid  in  the  Romish  church,  to  go  to  hell  j  he 
rn"ty  commit  every  day  ail  villanies  in  the  world,  and  yet 
every  day,  having  the  bull,  is  sure  of  getting  free  and  full 
pardon  of  his  sins,  and  this  without  the  trouble  of  going  to  con- 
fess :  lor  if  they  will  take  the  pains  to  read  the  contents  of  the 
bull,  v/ith  a  serious  mind,  they  will  find  the  truth  of  what  I  say, 
Thcit  without  the  trouble  of  confessing  sins,  any  body  obtahis 
full  pardon  of  all  the  crimes  he  has  committed. 

For  the  general  apostolical  commissary,  (who  has  the  pope's 
power  and  authority)  says,  that  he  that  takes  the  bull,  payeth 
for  it,  and  writes  his  name  in  it,  ipso  facto,  i.  e.  already  ob- 
tains all  the  indulgences  and  pardon  of  sins,  &c.  mentioned  in 
the  bull ;  and  he  does  not  sa}',  If  he  confess,  or,  if  he  he  a  hearty 
penitent;  but  already,  without  ?.Viy  limitation  or  reservation, 
already  he  enjoys  all,  and  may  r.iahe  use  of  all  the  graces,  S^c. 
So,  by  these  expressions,  it  appears,  that  a  man,  taking  the 
bull,  paying  for  it,  and  Vvriting  his  namiC  in  it,  may  commit 
murder  and  robbery,  &c,  and  yet  obtain  every  day  free  and 
full  pardon  of  his  sins,  without  the  trouble  of  confessing  them 
to  a  priest,  who,  if  covetous,  will  ask  money  for  absolution,  or 
money  for  masses,  for  the  relief  of  the  souls  in  purgatory. 

This  I  must  own  of  my  country  people,  that  they  are  kept 
in  so  great  ignorance  by  the  priests,  that  I  might  dare  to  say, 
that  not  one  of  a  thousand  that  takes  the  bull,  reads  it,  but 
blindly  submits  to  what  the  minister  of  the  parish  tells  him, 
without  further  inquiry.  This  is  a  surprising  thing  to  all  the 
protestants ;  and  it  is  now  to  me,  but  I  can  give  no  other  rea- 
sons for  their  ignorance  in  point  of  religion,  as  for  the  gen- 
erality, but  their  bigotry,  and  blind  faith  in  what  the  preachers 
and  priests  tell  them;  and,  next  to  this,  that  it  is  not  allowed 
to  them  t(j  read  the  scripture,  nor  books  of  controversy  about 
religion. 

I  come  now  to  the  daj's  in  which  every  body  takes  a  soul  out 
nf  purgatory.  Observe  those  marked  with  a  star,  and  besides 
them,  there  is  in  every  convent  and  parish  church,  at  least, 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  113 

one  privileged  altar,  i.  e.  any  body  that  says  five  times  Vater 
Noste'^,  &.C.,  and  five  times,  Ave  Maria,  with  GloHa  Patria, 
&c.,  takes  a  soul  o^t  of  purgatory,  and  this  at  any  time  and  in 
any  day  of  the  year,  and  not  only  in  Spain,  by  the  virtue  of  the 
bull,  but  in  France,  Germany,  Italy,  and  in  all  the  Roman 
Catholic  countries  where  they  have  no  bull  of  Crusade.  From 
this,  I  say,  that  if  there  is  a  purgatory,  it  must  be  an  empty 
place,  or  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  there  any  soul  at  all,  and 
that  the  Roman  Catholics  take  every  year  more  souls  out  of  it. 
than  can  go  into  it;  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  prove  by  evi- 
dent arguments,  grounded  on  their  principles  and  belief 

For,  first  of  all,  there  is  in  the  bull  nine  days  in  the  y«ar  in 
which  every  living  person  takes  a  soul  out  of  purgatory,  and 
by  this  undeniable  truth  among  themselves,  it  appears  that 
every  living  person,  man,  woman,  or  child,  from  seven  years 
of  age  and  upwards,  takes  every  year  nine  souls  out  of  pur- 
gatory. 

Secondly.  Every  body  knows  the  Roman  Catholic's  opinion, 
that  nobody  can  be  saved  out  of  their  communion;  and  by  this 
infallible  (as  they  believe)  principle,  they  do  not  allow  any 
place  in  purgatory  to  the  souls  of  protestants,  and  other  people 
of  other  professions ;  and  so  only  Roman  Catholic  souls  are 
the  proprietors  of  that  place  of  torment. 

Thirdly.  It  is  undeniable,  by  the  Romans,  that  ever  smce 
the  place  of  purgatory  was  built  up  by  the  popes  and  councils, 
the  Roman  catholics  have  enjoyed  the  granting  of  a  privileged 
altar  in  every  church,  that,  by  their  prayers,  the  souls  of  their 
parents  or  friends  may  be  relieved  and  delivered  out  of  that 
place. 

Fourthly.  That  to  this  granting,  the  popes  have  been  so 
generous,  that  they  have  granted,  in  such  days,  special  priv- 
ileges to  some  churches,  for  all  those  that  should  visit  them, 
to  take  souls  out  of  purgator}'. 

Fifthly.  That  all  the  prayers  said  before  such  altars  fcr 
such  a  soul  in  purgatory,  if  the  soul  is  out  of  it  when  the  person 
says  the  pra^-ers,  those  prayers  go  to  the  treasure  of  the 
church;  and  by  this  opinion,  undeniable  by  them, the  treasury 
of  the  church  is  well  stocked  with  prayers,  and  when  the  pope 
has  a  mind  to  grant,  at  once,  a  million  of  prayers,  he  may 
take  a  million  of  souls  out  of  purgatory. 

These  five  principles  and  observations  are  incontestable  by 
any  of  the  Roman  catholics.  Now  let  us  compute  the  num- 
ber of  Roman  catholics  that  are  alive,  and  the  number  of  the 
dead  every  year.     I  say,  compute,  that  is,  supp:>se  a  certain 

k2 


114  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

number  of  the  living  and  of  the  dead  every  year.  And  I  begin 
with  the  kingdom  of  Spain,  and  its  dominions,  as  the  only  par 
takers  of  the  privileges  granted  in  the  bull  of  Crusade. 

First.  Let  us  suppose,  that  in  the  whole  dominions  of  Spain, 
there  are  about  six  millions  of  living  persons;  I  speak  of  the 
Roman  catholics :  and  that  three  millions  of  those  catholics  die 
every  year-  and  that  all  their  souls  go  to  purgatory;  for  though 
the  supposition  is  disadvantageous  to  my  purpose,  I  will  allow 
them  more  than  they  can  expect.  In  the  first  place,  by  rea- 
sonable computation,  half  of  the  living  persons  do  not  die  every 
year:  but  I  suppose  this,  to  make  my  argument  so  much  the 
stronger.  Secondly.  In  their  opinion,  very  many  of  the  souls 
of  those  that  die,  go  to  heaven,  and  some  to  hell,  which  is  con- 
trary to  the  bull.  By  this  computation,  the  three  millions  of 
people  that  remain  alive,  by  the  bull,  take  out  of  purgatory, 
iBeven  and  twenty  millions  of  souls  that  very  year.  For  there 
are  nine  days,  in  the  bull  fixed,  on  which  every  living  person 
takes  one  soul  out  of  purgatory ;  if  then,  only  three  millions  of 
people  die  annually,  how  can  the  three  remaining  alive  take 
out  twenty-seven  millions,  it  being  impossible  that  there  should 
be  more  than  three  millions  of  souls  in  purgatory  that  year. 
And  besides  this  plain  demonstration,  and  besides  the  nine 
days  appointed  in  the  bull,  according  to  their  belief,  and  every 
day  in  the  year,  and,  totics  quotics,  they  pray  at  a  privileged 
altar,  they  take  out  of  purgatory  that  soul  for  which  they  pray, 
or  if  that  soul  is  not  in  purgatory,  any  other  which  they  have 
a  mind  for,  or  else  the  prayer  goes  to  the  treasure  of  the 
church :  and  so,  by  this  addition,  we  may  say,  that  if,  out  of 
three  millions  of  living  persons,  only  half  a  million  of  people 
pray  every  day;  this  half  million  take  out  of  purgatory,  year 
ly,  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  millions  and  a  half  of  souls. 
If  they  scruple  this  number,  let  them  fix  any  other  living  per- 
sons, and  then  multipl}-  nine  times  more  the  number  of  souls 
delivered  out  of  purgatory  every  year,  by  virtue  of  the  nine 
days  mentioned  in  the  bull;  or  by  the  privileged  altars,  mul- 
tiply one  to  three  hundred  sixty-five  souls  delivered  out  of  the 
flames  every  year,  by  every  living  person,  as  I  shall  demon- 
strate more  plainly  hereafter. 

As  for  France,  Germany,  Italy,  Portugal,  and  other  Roman 
catholic  countries,  as  I  said  before,  they  have  tiieir  privileged 
altars  to  take  a  soul  out  of  purgatory,  totles  quoties,  a  Roman 
saj  s  so  many  patci'  nostcrs,  and  arc  marias  before  them. 
And  so  use  the  same  multiplication  to  convince  them,  that  there 
cannot  be  so  many  souls  in  purgatory  as  they  deliver  out  of 


MASTER-KEY    TO    rorERY.  115 

;t  every  year,  or  that  purgatory  of  course,  must  be  an  empty 
place,  &LC. 

If  they  answer  to  this  strong  reason,  that  we  must  suppose 
for  certain,  that  the  souls  of  many  millions  of  people,  for  many 
years  past,  are  in  purgatory,  and  that  there  is  stock  enough 
taken  out  of  it  every  year,  if  there  were  ten  times  more  living 
persons  than  there  are  now  in  the  Roman  Catholic  countries;  I 
say,  tliat  the  supposition  has  no  room  at  all,  and  that  it  is  im- 
possible; for  let  us  begin  at  the  time  when  purgatory  was  first 
found  out  by  the  pope,  and  let  us  suppose,  ^-ra^i^,  that  there  is 
such  a  place,  which  we  deny. 

The  first  year  that  that  imaginary  place  was  settled  among 
the  Romans,  the  very  same  year  the  privileged  altars  were  in 
fashion.  The  people  that  were  left  alive  that  year  took  out 
all  the  souls  of  the  persons  dead  the  same  year,  and  more 
too,  for  as  the  new  privilege  was  granted  thenij  every  body  was 
more  charitable  in  taking  tJie  souls  of  his  relations  and  friends 
out  of  sufferings  at  so  ch-eap  a  rate  as  five  pater  nostcrs,  &-c 
The  next  year  the  same,  and  so  on,  year  by  year,  till  thi< 
present  time,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  believe  that  there  are  a 
greater  numl)er  of  souls  than  of  persons  dead. 

I  say  again,  that  by  these  principles,  sure  among  the  Ro- 
mans, the  catholics  only  of  Spain,  and  all  the  dominions  be- 
longing to  it,  are  enough  to  deliver  out  of  purgatory  all  the 
souls  of  all  the  catholics  dead,  from  the  begining  of  the  world 
in  Christendom.  If  what  they  believe  were  certain,  it  shouUd 
be  certain  too,  that  since  the  bull  is  granted  to  the  catholic 
kings  and  their  dominions,  which  is  since  the  reign  of  king 
Ferdinand,  the  catholic,  only  the  Spaniards  have  delivered  out 
of  purgatory  more  souls  than  persons  have  died  since  the 
miiversal  flood:  for  every  living  person,  from  that  time  till  this 
present  day,  has  taken  out  of  purgatory,  every  year,  3G5 
souls  by  the  privileged  altars,  and  nine  more  by  virtue  of  the 
bull.  Now  I  leave  to  the  curious  reader  to  make  use  of  the 
rule  of  multiplication,  and  he  will  find  clear  demonstrations  of 
my  saying.  I  do  not  talk  now  of  those  innumerable  souls  that 
are  freed  from  this  place  every  day  of  the  year  by  the  masses, 
leaving  this  for  another  place. 

Indeea  I  have  searched  among  the  sophistries  of  the  Roman 
catholics,  to  see  whether  I  could  find  some  reason  or  answer 
to  this:  and  I  protest,  I  could  not  find  any;  for  as  I  am  sure, 
they  will  endeavor  to  cloud  this  work  with  groundless  subter- 
fuges and  sophistries,  I  was  willing  to  prevent  all  sorts  of 
objections,  wliich  may  be  made  by  them.     Only  one  answer, 


I IG  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

which  I  may  believe  they  will  give  me,  comes  now  into  my 
head,  and  it  is  this,  that  as  the  Romans  cannot  answer  any 
thing  contrary  to  my  demonstration,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  they 
v>^ill  say,  that  I  reason  and  argue  as  an  ignorant,  because  I  do 
not  know  that  the  souls  in  purgatory  are  fruitful  beings,  that 
one  produces  a  great  many  little  ones  every  year,  I  say,  it  is 
to  be  feared,  that  being  pressed,  they  must  come  at  last  to  such 
nonsensical,  fantastical,  dreaming  reasons,  to  answer  to  this 
urfjent  argument.  So  we  may  safely  conclude,  and  with  a 
Christian  confidence  say,  that  if  there  is  such  a  place  as  pur- 
gatory, it  must  be  an  empty  place,  or  that  it  is  impossible  to 
find  there  any  souls,  or  that  the  Roman  catholics  take  every 
year  more  souls  out  of  it,  than  can  go  into  it:  all  which,  being 
against  the  evidence  of  natural  reason,  and  computation  made, 
it  is  a  dream,  fiction,  or  to  say  the  truth,  roguery,  robbery,  and 
a  cheat  of  the  pope  and  priests.  As  for  the  pope,  (if  the  re- 
port in  the  public  news  be  true,)  1  must  beg  leave  to  except 
for  a  while  this  present  pope,  who,  in  his  behaviour,  makes 
himself  the  exception  of  the  rule.  I  say,  for  a  icliile,  for  by 
several  instances,  (as  I  shall  speak  of  in  the  third  part,)  ma- 
ny popes  have  had  a  good  beginning,  and  a  very  bad  end. 
God  enlighten  him  with  his  holy  spirit,  that  he  may  bring  in  all 
papist  countries  to  our  reformation.  And  I  pray  God  Al- 
mighty, from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  to  give  to  all  the  Romans 
such  a  light  as  his  infinite  goodness  has  been  pleased  to  grant 
me;  and  that  all  my  country  people,  and  all  those  that  call 
themselves  Roman  catholics,  would  make  the  same  use  of 
that  light  which  I  have  endeavored  to  make  use  of  myself,  to 
know  the  corruptions  of  their  church,  and  to  renounce  them 
with  as  firm  and  hearty  resolution  as  I  have  done  myself: 
And  I  pray  God,  who  is  to  be  my  judge,  to  continue  in  me 
the  same  light,  and  his  grace,  that  I  may  live  and  die  in  the 
religion  I  have  embraced,  and  to  give  me  the  desired  comfort 
of  my  heart,  which  is  to  see  many  of  my  beloved  country 
people  come  and  enjoy  the  quietness  of  mind  and  conscience 
which  I  enjoy,  as  to  this  point  of  religion,  and  way  of  salva- 
tion; and  I  wish  I  could  prevail  with  them  to  read  the  bull, 
which,  they  believe,  is  the  sancto  sanctorum,  the  passport  to 
heaven;  and  I  am  sure  they  would  find  the  contrary,  and  see 
that  it  is  only  a  dream,  a  dose  of  opium  to  lull  them  asleep, 
and  keep  them  ahvays  ignorant.  That  Almighty  God  may 
grant  them  and  me  too  all  these  things,  is  my  constant  prayer 
to  Plim. 


PART  III. 


k  practical  account  of  their  Masses,  Privileged  Altars,  Trcuisubstajitiation, 
and  Purgatory. 

.  comprise  alt  the  four  heads  in  one  chapter,  because  there  is  a  near  relation 
between  ^em  al,  though  I  shall  speak  of  them  separately,  and  as  distinct 
articles, 


ARTICLE   I. 

Of  their  Masses. 

The  Mass  for  priests  and  friars  is  better,  and  has  greater 
power  and  virtue  than  the  loadstone,  for  this  only  draws  iron, 
but  that  allures  and  gets  to  them  silver,  gold,  precious  stones, 
and  all  sorts  of  fruits  of  the  earth;  therefore  it  is  proper  to  give 
a  description  of  every  thing  the  priests  make  use  of  to  render 
the  mass  the  most  magnificent  and  respectful  thing  in  the 
world,  in  the  eyes  of  the  people. 

The  priest  every  morning,  after  he  has  examined  his  con- 
science, and  confessed  his  sins,  (which  they  call  reconcilia- 
tion,) goes  to  the  vestry  and  washes  his  hands;  afterwards, 
he  kneels  down  before  an  image  of  the  crucifix,  which  is 
placed  on  the  draws,  where'the  ornaments  are  kept,  and  says 
several  prayers  and  psalms,  written  in  a  book,  called  pi-epara- 
terium.  When  the  priest  has  done,  he  gefs  up,  and  goes  to 
dress  himself,  all  the  ornaments  being  ready  upon  the  draws, 
which  are  like  the  table  of  an  altar;  then  he  takes  the  Ambito, 
which  is  like  an  Holland  handkerchief,  and  kissing  the  mid- 
dle of  it,  puts  it  round  about  his  neck,  and  says  a  short  prayer. 
Afler  he  takes  the  Alva,  which  is  a  long  surplice  with  narrow 
sleeves,  laced  round  about  with  fine  lace,  and  says  another 
prayer  while  he  puts  it  on.  The  clerk  is  always  behind  to 
help  him.  Then  he  takes  the  Cingul^m,  i.  e.  the  girdle,  and 
says  a  prayer;  after  he  takes  the  Stola,  which  is  a  long  list 
of  silk,  with  a  cross  in  the  middle,  and  two  crosses  at  the  ends 
of  it,  and  says  another  prayer  while  he  puts  it  on  his 
neck,  and  crosses  it  before  his  breast,  and  ties  it  with  the  ends 
of  the  girdle.  After  he  takes  the  Manipulum,  i.  e.  a  short 
list  of  the  same  silk,  with  as  many  crosses  in  it,  and  ties  it  on 

117 


118  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPEKY. 

the  left  arm,  sa}'ing  a  short  prayer.  Then  he  takes  th« 
Casulla,  i.  e.  a  sort  of  a  dress  made  of  three  yards  of  silk 
stuff,  a  yard  wide  behind,  and  something  narrower  before, 
with  a  hole  in  the  middle,  to  put  his  head  through  it.  After 
he  is  thus  dressed,  he  goes  to  the  corner  of  the  table,  and 
taking  the  chalice,  cleans  it  with  a  little  Holland  towel,  with 
which  the  chalice'^s  mouth  is  covered;  after  he  puts  a  large 
host  on  the  patena,  i.  e.  a  small  silver  plate  gih,  which  serves 
to  cover  the  chalice,  and  puts  on  the  host  a  neat  piece  of  fine 
ho] land  laced  all  over.  Then  he  covers  all  with  a  piece  of 
silk,  three  quarters  of  a  yard  in  square.  After  he  examines 
the  corporales,  i.  e.  two  pieces  of  fine,  well-starched  holland, 
with  lace  round  about;  the  first  is  three  quarters  of  a  yard 
square,  and  the  second  half  a  yard;  and  folding  them  both,  puts 
them  in  a  flat  cover,  which  he  puts  on  the  chalice,  and  taking  a 
squared  cap,  if  he  is  a  secular  priest,  puts  it  on  bis  head,  and 
having  the  chalice  in  his  hands,  makes  a  great  bow  to  the  cru- 
cifix, says  a  prayer,  and  goes  out  of  the  vestry  to  the  altar, 
where  he  designs  to  say  mass.  This  is,  as  to  the  private  mass. 
Now  before  I  proceed  to  the  great  mass,  which  is  always  sung, 
it  is  fit  to  talk  of  the  riches  of  their  ornaments. 

As  in  the  Romish  church  are  several  festivals,  viz.  those  of 
our  Saviour  Christ,  Christmas,  Circumcision,  Epiphany,  Eas- 
ter, Ascension,  Pentecostes,  and  Transfiguration:  Those  of 
the  Holy  Cross ;  those  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary;  those  of 
the  angels,  apostles,  martyrs,  confessors,  virgins,  &lc.  So  there 
are  several  sorts  of  ornaments,  and  of  divers  colors;  white  for 
all  the  festivals  of  Jesus  Christ,  except  pentecostes,  in  which 
the  ornaments  are  red ;  white  also  for  the  festivals  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary, confessors,  and  virgins;  red  for  martyrs;  violet  color 
for  advent  and  lent;  and  black  for  the  masses  of  the  dead. 

The  same  rule  is  observed  in  the  front  of  the  altar's  table, 
or  «ra  altaris,  which  are  always  adorned  with  hangings  the 
color  of  the  day's  festivals.  In  every  parish  church  and  con- 
vent, there  are  many  ornaments  of  each  of  the  said  colors,  all 
of  the  richest  silks,  with  silver,  gold  and  embroidery.  There 
are  many  long  cloaks  or  palia  of  all  sorts  of  colors,  several 
dozens  of  almis,  or  surplices  of  the  finest  holland,  with  the 
finest  laces  round  about  them,  chalice  of  silver,  the  inside  of 
the  cup  gilt,  many  of  gold,  and  many  of  gold  set  with  dia- 
monds and  precious  stones.  There  is  one  in  the  cathedral 
of  St.  Salvator,  in  the  city  of  Saragossa,  which  weighs  five 
pounds  of  gold,  set  all   over  wfth  diamonds,  and   is  valued 


MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY.  119 

at  15,000  crowns,  and  this  is  not  accounted  an  extraor- 
dinary one. 

A  possenet  of  silver,  gilt  all  over,  to  keep  the  holy  water 
and  hysop,  with  a  silver  handle,  to  be  used  in  holy  days  at 
church,  is  an  indispensable  thing  almost  in  every  church;  aa 
also  two  big  candlesticks  four  feet  high,  for  the  two  accolUs  or 
assistants  to  the  great  mass.  In  several  churches  there  are 
two  cirialesj  i.  e.  big  candlesticks  five  feet  high  all  of  silver, 
which  weigh  two  hundred  pounds  in  some  churches,  and  ano- 
ther bigger  than  these  for  the  blessed  candle  on  candlemas 
day.  Six  other  middle  silver  candlesticks,  which  serve  on 
the  ara  or  altar's  tal)lc,  silver,  and  (in  many  churches)  gold 
botties  and  plate  to  keep  the  water  and  wine  that  is  used  in 
the  mass,  a  small  silver  bell  for  the  same  use,  an  incensary, 
and  stand  for  the  missal  or  mass-book,  and  another  stand  of 
silver  two  feet  high,  for  the  deacon  and  sub-deacon  to  read  on 
it  the  epistle  and  gospel. 

There  is  also  in  the  great  altar,  the  custodia,  i.  e.  a  figure 
of  the  sun  and  beams  made  of  gold,  and  many  of  them  set 
with  precious  stones  to  keep  in  the  centre  of  it  the  great  con- 
secrated host,  in  the  middle  of  two  crystals:  The  foot  of  the 
custodia  is  made  of  the  same  metal ;  it  is  kept  in  a  gilt  taber- 
nacle, and  shown  to  the  people  on  several  occasions,  as  I  will 
mention  in  another  place. 

Besides  this  rich  custodia,  there  is  a  large  silver  or  gold  cup 
kept  in  the  same,  or  another  tabernacle  on  another  altar, 
which  is  to  keep  the  small  consecrated  wafers  for  the  commu- 
nicants. Before  those  tabernacles  a  silver  lamp  is  burning 
night  and  day.  The  altars  are  adorned  on  several  festivals 
with  the  silver  bodies  of  several  saints,  some  as  large  as  a 
man,  some  half  bodies  with  crowns  or  mitres  set  with  precious 
stones. 

I  could  name  several  churches  and  convents,  where  I  saw 
many  rarities  and  abundance  of  rich  ornaments,  but  this  being 
a  thing  generally  known  by  the  private  accounts  of  many 
travellers,  I  shall  only  give  a  description  of  the  rarities  and 
riches  of  the  church  of  the  lady  del  Pilar,  and  that  of  St.  Sal- 
vator,  in  the  city  of  Saragossa ;  because  I  never  met  with  any 
book  which  did  mention  them,  and  the  reason,  as  I  believe,  is, 
because  foreigners  do  not  travel  much  in  Spain,  for  want  of 
good  conveniences  on  the  roads,  and  for  the  dismal  journey  in 
which  they  cannot  see  a  house,  sometimes  in  twenty  miles, 
and  sometimes  in  thirty. 

In  the  Cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator,  there  are  forty-fivo 


120  JIASTEIi-KEY  TO  POPEKY. 

prebendaries,  besides  the  dean,  arch-deacon,  chanter,  and  six- 
ty-six beneficiates,  six  priests  and  a  master,  and  twelve  boys 
lor  the  music,  and  sixty  clerks  and  linder  clerks,  and  sextons . 
The  church  contains  thirty  chapels,  large  and  small,  and  the 
great  altar,  thirty  feet  high  and  ten  broad,  all  of  marble  stone, 
with  many  bodies  of  saints  of  the  same,  and  in  the  middle  of 
it  the  transfiguration  of  our  Saviour  in  the  mount  Tabor,  with 
the  apostles  all  represented  in  marble  figures.  The  front  of 
the  altar's  table  is  m.ade  o^  solid  silver,  the  frame  gilt,  and 
adorned  with  precious  stones.  I'^  the  treasure  of  the  church 
they  keep  sixteen  bodies  of  saints  of  pure  silver,  among  which, 
that  of  St.  Peter  Argues,  (who  was  a  prebendary  in  the  same 
church,  and  was  m.urdered  by  the  SaraceAs,)  is  adorned  with 
rich  stones  of  a  great  value.  Besides  these  they  keep  twelve 
half  silver  bodies  of  other  saints,  and  many  relics  set  with  gold 
and  diamonds.  Forty-eight  silver  candlesticks  for  the  altar's 
table,  two  large  ones,  and  the  third  for  the  blessed  candle,  300 
pound  weight  each:  thirty-six  small  silver  candlesticks;  anu 
six  made  of  solid  gold  for  the  great  festivals.  Four  possenets 
of  silver,  two  of  solid  gold,  with  the  handles  of  hysops  of  the 
same.  Two  large  crosses,  one  of  silver,  the  other  of  gold,  ten 
feet  high,  to  carry  before  the  processions.  Ten  thousand  oun- 
ces of  silver  in  plate,  part  of  gilt,  to  adorn  the  two  corners  o* 
the  altar  on  great  festivals,  and  when  the  archbishop  officiates, 
and  says  the  great  mass.  Thirty-three  silver  lamps,  of  which 
the  smallest  is  an  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  weight,  and  the 
largest,  which  is  before  the  great  altar,  gilt  all  over,  is  six 
hundred  and  thirty  pounds  weight.  Abundance  of  rich  orna- 
ments for  priests,  of  inexpressible  value.  Eighty-four  chali 
ces,  twenty  of  pure  gold,  anti  ^ixty-four  of  silver,  gilt  on  the 
inside  of  the  cup ;  and  the  rich  chalice,  which  only  the  arch- 
bishop makes  use  of  in  his  pontifical  dress. 

All  these  things  are  but  trifles  in  comparison  with  the  great 
tustodia  they  make  use  of  to  carry  the  great  host  through  the 
streets  on  the  festival  of  Corpus  Christi:  This  was  a  present 
made  to  the  cathedral  by  the  Archbishop  of  Sevil,  who  had 
been  prebendary  of  that  church  before.  The  circumference 
of  the  sun  and  beams  is  as  big  as  the  wheel  of  a  coach ;  at  the 
end  of  each  beam  there  is  a  star.  The  centre  of  the  sun, 
where  the  great  host  is  placed  between  two  crystals,  set  with 
hrge  diamonds;  the  beams  are  all  of  solid  gold  set  with  seve- 
ral precious  stones,  a'^d  in  the  middle  of  each  star,  a  rich  em- 
jrald  set  in  gold.  Th*'  crystal  with- the  great  host  is  fixed  in 
he  mouth  of  the  rich  chalice,  on  a  pedestal  of  silver,  all  gilt 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERT.  121 

over  which  is  three  feet  high.  The  whole  cuptodia  is  five 
hundred  pounds  weifrht,  and.  this  is  placed  on  a  gilt  base, 
which  is  carried  by  twelve  priests,  as  I  shall  tell  y  du  in  anotiier 
article.  Several  goldsmiths  have  endeavored  to  value  this 
piece,  but  nobody  could  set  a  certain  sum  upon  it.  One  said 
that  a  milli  n  of  pistoles  was  too  little.  And  how  the  arch- 
bishop couli  gather  together  so  many  precious  stones,  every 
body  was  surprised  at,  till  we  heard  that  a  brother  of  his  grace 
died  in  Peru,  and  left  him  great  sums  of  money,  and  a  vast 
quantity  of  diamonds  and  precious  stones. 

I  come  now  to  sj)eak  oi"  the  treasure  and  rarities  of  the  La- 
dy del  Pilar.  In  the  church  of  this  lady  is  the  same  number 
01  prebendaries  and  beneficiates,  musicians,  clerks,  and  sex- 
tons, as  in  the  catholic  Church  of  St.  Salvator,  and  as  to  the 
ornaments  and  silver  plate,  they  are  very  much  the  same,  ex- 
cept only  that  of  the  great  custodia,  Vvhich  is  not  so  rich. 
But  as  to  the  chapel  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  there  is,  without 
comparison,  more  in  it  than  in  the  cathedral.  I  shall  treat  of 
the  image  in  another  chapter  Now  as  to  her  riches,  I  will 
give  you  an  account  as  far  as  I  remember,  for  it  is  impossible 
for  every  thing  to  be  kept  in  the  memory  of  man. 

In  the  little  chapel,  where  the  imago  is  on  a  pillar,  are  four 
angels,  as  large  and  tall  as  a  man,  with  a  big  candlestick, 
each  of  which  is  made  wholly  of  silver  gilt.  The  front  of  two 
altars  is  solid  silver,  with  gilt  frames,  set  with  rich  stones.  Be- 
fore the  image  there  is  a  himp,^  (as  they  call  it,)  a  spider  of 
crystal,  in  which  twelve  wax  candles  burn  night  and  day :  The 
several  parts  of  the  spider  are  set  with  gold  and  diamonds, 
which  was  a  present  made  to  the  Virgin  b5^  Don  John,  of  Aus- 
tria, who  also  left  her  in  his  last  will,  his  own  heart,  which  ac- 
cordingly was  brought  to  her,  and  is  kept  in  a  gold  box  set 
with  large  diamonds,  and  which  hangs  before  the  image. 
There  is  a  thick  grate  round  about  the  little  ch'  pel,  of  solid 
silver:  Next  to  this  is  another  chapel  to  say  mass  in  before 
the  image;  and  the  altar-piece  of  it  is  all  made  of  silver,  from 
the  top  to  the  altar's  table,  which  is  of  jasper  stone,  and  the 
front  of  silver,  with  the  frame  gilt,  set  with  precious  stones. 
The  rich  crown  of  the  Virgin  is  twenty-five  pounds  weight,  set 
all  over  with  large  diamonds.  Besides  this  rich  one,  she  \.a3 
six  pounds  more  of  pure  gold,  set  with  rich  diamonds  and  em- 
eralds, the  smallest  of  which  is  worth  half  a  million. 

The  roses  of  diamonds  and  other  precious  stones  she  has 
to  adorn  her  mantle,  are  innumerable;  for  though  she  is  dres- 
sed every  (?3V  in  the  color  of  the  church's  festival, and  never 

I. 


122  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

uses  twice  tlie  same  mantle,  which  is  of  the  best  stuff,  em 
broidered  with  gold;  she  has  new  roses  of  precious  stones,  ev- 
ery day  for  three  years  together ;  she  has  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  necklaces  of  pearls  and  diamonds,  and  six  chains  of 
gold  set  with  diamonds,  which  are  put  on  her  mantle  on  the 
great  festivals  of  Christ. 

In  the  room  of  her  treasure  are  innumerable  heads,  arm^, 
legs,  eyes,  and  hands,  made  of  gold  and  silver,  presented  to 
her  by  the  people,  which  have  been  cured  as  they  believe,  by 
miracle,  through  the  Virgin's  divine  power  and  intercessions. 
In  this  second  chapel  are  one  hundred  and  nmety-five  silver 
lamps,  in  three  lines,  one  over  the  other.  The  lamps  of  the 
lowest  rank  are  bigger  than  those  of  the  second,  and  these  are 
bigger  than  those  of  the  third.  The  five  lamps  iacing  the  im- 
age are  about  five  hundred  pounds  weight  each,  the  sixty  of 
the  same  line  four  hundred  pounds  weight,  and  those  of  the 
third  line,  one  hundred  pounds  weight.  Those  of  the  second 
line  are  two  hundred  pounds  weight.  There  is  the  image  of 
the  Virgin  in  the  treasure,  made  in  the  shape  of  a  woman  five 
feet  high,  all  of  pure  silver,  set  with  precious  stones,  and  a 
crown  of  gold  set  with  diamonds,  and  this  image  is  to  be  car- 
ried in  a  public  procession  the  days  appointed.  I  will  speak 
of  the  miraculous  image  in  the  following  chapter 

I  remember  that  when  the  Rt.  lion.  Lord  i^tanhope,  then 
General  of  the  English  forces,  was  in  Saragossa,  after  the  bat- 
tle, he  v/ent  to  see  the  treasure  of  the  lady  of  Pilar,  which  was 
shown  to  him,  and  I  heard  him  say  these  words:  Jf  all  the 
kings  of  Europe  should  gather  together  all  their  treasures  and 
precious  stones,  they  could  not  buy  half  of  the  riches  of  this 
treasury.  And  by  this  expression  of  so  wise  and  experienced 
a  man,  every  body  may  judge  of  the  value. 

After  this  short  account  of  the  ornaments  to  be  used  at  mass, 
and  the  incomparable  treasures  of  the  Romish  church,  I  pro- 
ceed to  a  description  of  the  great  or  high  masses,  their  ceremo- 
nies, and  of  all  the  motions  and  gestures  the  priests  make  in 
the  celebration  of  a  mass. 

Besides  the  priest,  there  must  be  a  deacon,  subdeacon,  two 
acoiiti,  i.  e.  two  to  carry  the  large  candlesticks  before  the 
priest,  and  one  to  carry  the  incensary.  The  incenser  1  elps 
the  priest  when  he  dresses  himself  in  the  vestry,  and  the  two 
acoiiti  help  the  deacon  and  subdeacon.  When  all  three  are 
dressed,  the  incenser  and  the  two  acoiiti  in  their  surplices,  and 
large  collars  round  about  their  necks,  made  of  the  same  stuff 
as  that  of  the  pricst''s  casulla,  and  deacon  and  subdeacon's  al- 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  123 

maticesj  i.  e.  a  sort  of  carulla,  with  open  sleeves,  I  say,  tho 
incenser  puts  fire  in  the  incensar}^,  and  the  acoliti  takes  the 
candlesticks  wi^h  the  wax  candles  lighted,  and  the  subdeacon 
takes  the  cliaiice  and  corporals,  and  so  making  a  bow  to  the 
crucifix  in  the  vestry,  they  go  out  into  the  ciiurch  to  the  great 
altar.  There  are  commonly  three  steps  to  go  up  to  the  altar, 
and  the  priest  and  five  assistants  kneel  down  at  the  first  step, 
then  leaving  the  incense  and  acoliti  to  stay  there,  the  priest, 
deacon  and  subdeacon  go  up  to  the  altar's  table,  and  all  knee, 
down  there  again.  The  subdeacon  leaves  the  chalice  on  a  lit- 
tle table  next  to  the  altar's  table  at  the  right  hand,  and  then 
they  turn  back  again  to  the  highest  step,  and  kneeling  down 
again,  the  priest,  deacon,  and  subdeacon  get  up,  leaving  the 
incenser  and  acoliti  on  their  knees,  and  begin  the  m.aFs  by  a 
psalm,  and  after  it  the  priest  says  the  general  confession  of 
sins,  to  which  the  deacon  and  subdeacon  answer,  Misercalur 
tui,  <Sfc.  Then  they  say  the  general  confession  themselves, 
and  after  it  the  priest  absolves  them,  and  saying  another  psalm, 
they  go  up  again  to  the  altar's  table,  which  the  priest  kisses, 
and  he  and  the  two  assistants  kneel  down,  and  rise  again. 
Then  the  incenser  brings  the  incensary  and  incense,  and  the 
priest  puts  in  three  spoonsfull  of  it,  and  taking  the  incensary 
from  the  deacon's  hands,  he  incenses  three  times  the  taberna- 
cle of  the  Eucharistia,  and  goes  twice  to  each  side  of  it,  he 
kneels  down  then,  and  the  deacon  takes  up  the  hem  of  the 
priest's  casulla,  and  so  goes  from  the  middle  of  the  altar  to 
the  right  corner,  incensing  the  table,  and  returning  from  the 
corner  to  the  middle,  then  kneels  down  and  gets  up,  and  goes 
to  the  left  corner,  and  from  the  left  goes  again  to  the  right  cor- 
ner, and  giving  the  incensary  to  the  deacon,  he  incenses  three 
times  the  priest,  and  gives  the  incensary  to  the  incenser,  and 
this  incenses  tvvice  the  deacon.  The  assistants  always  follow 
the  priest,  making  the  motions  that  he  does. 

The  incenser  has  the  missal  or  mass-book  ready  on  t^ie  altar's 
table  at  the  right  corner,  and  so  the  priest  begins  the  psalm  of 
the  mass :  all  this  while  the  musicians  are  singing  the  begin- 
ning of  the  mass  till  liyrie  eleijon;  and  when  they  have  fint** 
ished,  the  priest  sings  these  three  words :  Gloria  in  excelsis 
deo.  And  the  musicians  sing  the  rest.  While  they  are  sing- 
ing, the  priest,  deacon,  and  subdeacon,  making  a  bow  to  the 
tabernacle,  go  to  sit  on  three  rich  chairs  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  ara  or  altar's  table ;  and  as  soon  as  the  music  has  ended 
the  gloria,  they  go  to  the  middle  of  the  table,  kneel  down,  and 
get  up,  aid  the  priest  kissing  'he  table  turns  to  the  people, 


124  JIASTER-KET  TO  POPERr. 

opening  his  arms,  and  says,  in  Latin,  The  Lord  he  with  you^ 
to  which,  and  all  other  expressions  the  music  and  the  people 
answer;  then  tarns  again  his  face  to  the  altar,  kneels  down 
gets  up,  and  the  assistants  doing  the  same,  the  priest  goes  to 
the  right  corner,  and  says  the  collect  for  the  day,  and  two,  or 
sometimes  five  or  six  prayers  in  commemoration  of  the  saints, 
and  last  of  all,  a  prayer  for  the  pope,  king  and  bishop  of  the 
diocess,  against  heretics,  infidels  and  enemies  of  their  religion, 
or  the  holy  catholic  faith. 

Then  the  subdeacon,  taking  the  book  of  the  epistles  and 
gospels,  goes  down  to  the  lowest  step,  and  sings  the  epistle, 
which  ended,  he  goes  up  to  the  priest,  kisses  his  hand,  leaves 
the  book  of  the  gospels  on  the  little  table,  takes  the  missal  or 
mass-book,  and  carries  it  to  the  left  corner.  Then  the  priest 
goes  to  the  middle,  kneels  down,  kisses  the  altar,  says  a  prayer, 
and  goes  to  say  the  gospel,  while  the  music  is  singing  a  psalm, 
which  they  call  Tractus  gradualis.  The  gospel  ended,  the 
priest  goes  again  to  the  middle,  kneels  down,  rises  and  kisses 
the  table,  and  turns  half  to  the  altar,  and  half  to  the  people, 
and  the  deacon,  giving  him  the  incense-box,  he  puts  in  three 
spoonsfuU  of  it,  and  blesses  the  incense :  The  incenser  takes 
it  from  the  deacon,  who  taking  the  book  of  the  gospel,  kneels 
down  before  the  priest  and  asks  his  blessing.  The  priest  gives 
the  blessing,  and  the  deacon  kisses  his  hand,  and  then  he  goes 
to  the  left  corner  and  sings  the  gospel,  viz:  the  left  corner,  as 
to  the  people  of  the  church,  but  as  to  the  altar,  it  is  the  right. 
While  the  deacon  sings  the  gospel,  the  priest  goes  to  the  oppo- 
site corner  and  there  stands  till  the  gospel  is  ended :  Then  the 
deacon  carrieth  to  him  the  book  open,  and  the  priest  kissing  it, 
goes  to  the  middle  of  the  table,  and  kneeling,  rising,  kissing 
the  table,  the  assistants  doing  the  same,  he  turns  his  face  to 
the  people,  openeth  his  arms,  and  says  again,  The  Lord  he 
with  you.  Then  he  turns  again  before  the  altar,  and  says.  Let 
us  pray.  The  music  begins  the  offertory,  when  there  is  no 
creed  to  be  sung,  for  there  is  no  creed  in  all  their  festivals. 

While  the  musicians  sing  the  offertory,  the  deacon  prepares 
the  chalice,  that  is,  he  puts  the  wine  in  it,  and  after  him,  the 
subdeacon  pours  in  three  drops  of  water,  and  cleaning  nicely 
the  mouth  of  the  cup,  the  deacon  gives  it  to  the  priest,  v\  ho 
takes  it  in  his  hands,  and  offering  it  to  the  Eternal,  sets  it  on 
the  clean  corporales,  and  covers  it  w  ith  a  small  piece  oi  fine 
holland :  then  he  says  a  prayer,  and  putting  incense  in  the 
incensary  us  before,  kneels,  and  then  rising,  incenses  the  ta- 
bj^j  as  us  said,  which  done,  the  subdeacon  pours  water  on  the 


MASTER-ILEY    TO    POPERY.  125 

•)riest's  fore-fingers,  which  he  washes  and  wipes  with  a  clean 
towel,  and  after  returns  to  the  middle  of  the  table,  and  after 
some  prayers,  he  begins  to  sing  the  preface,  which  ended,  he 
says  some  other  prayers.  Before  the  consecration,  he  joins 
his  two  hands,  and  puts  them  before  his  face,  shuts  his  eyes, 
and  examines  his  conscience  for  two  or  three  minutes;  then 
opening  his  eyes  and  arms,  says  a  prayer,  and  begins  the 
consecration.  At  this  time  every  body  is  silent,  to  hear  the 
words,  ana  when  the  priest  comes  to  pronounce  them,  he  says 
with  a  loud  voice,  in  Latin,  Hoc  est  enim  corpus  meum.  Then 
he  leaves  the  consecrated  Host  on  the  ara^  kneels  down,  and 
getting  up,  takes  again  the  host  with  his  two  thumbs  and  two 
foremost  fingers,  and  lifts  it  up  as  high  as  he  can,  that  every 
body  may  see  it,  and  leaving  it  again  on  the  same  ara,  kneels 
down,  and  then  rising  up,  takes  the  chalice,  and  after  he  has 
consecrated  the  wine,  leaves  it  on  the  ara,  and  making  the 
same  motions  and  bows,  he  lifts  it  up  as  he  did  the  host,  and 
placing  it  on  the  ara,  covers  it,  and  with  the  same  gestures,  he 
says  a  prayer  in  remembrance  of  all  the  saints,  all  parents, 
relations,  friends,  and  of  all  the  souls  in  purgatory,  but  espe- 
cially of  that  soul  for  whom  the  sacrifice  of  that  mass  is  offered 
to  God  by  Jesus  Christ  himself  I  say,  by  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self, for  as  Chrysostom  and  Amb.*  say,  the  priest,  not  only 
representing  Christ,  but  in  the  act  of  celebrating  and  conse- 
crating is  the  very  same  Christ  himself  Thus  it  is  in  the 
catechism  published  by  decree  of  the  council  of  Trent.f 

Between  this  and  the  sumption,  or  the  taking  of  the  host, 
and  drinkin2f  of  the  cup,  the  priest  says  some  prayers,  and 
sings  Our  Father,  in  Latin,  kneeling  down  several  times. — 
When  he  comes  to  the  communion,  he  breaks  the  host  by  the 
middle,  leaves  one  part  on  the  table,  and  breaks  off*  the  other 
half,  a  little  piece,  and  puts  it  into  the  cup;  this  done,  he  eats 
the  two  half  hosts,  and  drinks  the  whie ;  and  for  fear  any 
small  fragments  should  remain  in  the  cup,  the  deacon  puts  in 
more  wine,  and  the  priest  drinks  it  up,  and  going  to  the  corner 
with  the  chalice,  the  subdeacon  pours  water  upon  tne  priest's 
two  thumbs  and  foremost  fingers,  and  being  well  washed,  goes 

*  Horn.  2.  in  2d  Timoth.  and  Horn,  de  prod,  Jur<ae  Arab.  lib.  4,  de  sa- 
cram,  C.  4. 

t  Sed  unus  etiam,  atque  idem  Sacerdos  est  Christus  Dominus : — Nam  Min- 
istri  qui  Sacrificium  faciunt,  non  suam  sed  Christi  ^^ersonam  actipiunt,  cuir 
ejus  Corpus  et  Sanguinem  conficiunt,  id  quod  et  ipsius  Cousecrationis  Yexhn 
ostenaitur,  Sacerdos  inquit:  Hoc  est  Corpus  meum,  personam  \ide)icet  Chris- 
ti Domini  gerens,  panis  et  vini  Substantiam  in  verain  ejus  Co)y  vris  et  San- 
fi'inis  Substantiam  convertit. 

L  2 


126  MASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

to  the  middle  of  the  table,  and  drinks  up  the  water.  The» 
the  deacon  takes  the  cup  and  wipes  it,  and  putting  on  every 
thing,  as  when  they  came  to  the  altar,  gives  it  to  the  subdea- 
con,  who  leaves  it  on  the  little  table  near  the  altar.  After 
this  is  done,  the  priest,  kneeling  and  getting  up,  and  turnmg 
to  the  people  and  opening  liis  arms,  says.  The  Lord  he  wiili 
you,  and  two  or  more  prayers;  and  last  of  all,  the  gospel  of  St. 
John,  with  which  he  ends  the  mass;  so  in  the  same  order  they 
went  out  of  the  vestry,  they  return  into  it  again,  saying  a  pray- 
er for  the  souls  in  purgatory.  After  the  priest  is  undrest,  the 
incensor  and  acoliti  kneel  down  before  him,  and  kiss  his  right 
hand:  Then  they  undress  themselves,  and  the  priest  goes  to 
the  humiliatory  to  give  God  thanks  for  all  his  benefits. 

The  same  ceremonies,  m.otions  and  gestures  the  priest 
makes  in  a  private  mass,  but  not  so  many  in  a  mass  for  the 
dead.  They  have  proper  masses  for  the  holy  Trinity,  for 
Christ,  the  Virgin  Mary,  angels,  apostles,  martyrs,  confessors, 
virgins,  and  for  the  dead;  the  ornaments  for  this  last  are  al- 
ways black.  This  is  a  true  description  of  the  ceremonies  of 
the  mass :  Now  let  us  give  an  account  of  the  means  the  priests 
make  use  of  for  the  promoting  of  this  sacrifice,  and  increasing 
their  profit. 

The  custom,  or  rule  for  public  masses,  which  are  always 
sung,  is  this :  the  person  that  goes  to  the  clerk  and  asks  a  mass 
to  be  sung,  carries  at  least  six  wax  candles,  which  burn  upon 
the  altar's  table,  while  the  mass  lasts,  and  a  good  offering  for 
ihe  priest,  and  besides  that,  must  give  the  charity,  which  is  a 
crown,  and  the  same  for  a  mass  sung  for  the  dead;  but  if  a 
person  have  a  mind  to  have  a  mass  sung,  such  or  such  a  day 
forever,  he  must  give,  or  settle  upon  the  chapter  or  commu- 
nity, a  pistole  every  year,  and  these  are  called  settled  mnsses, 
and  there  are  of  these  masses  in  every  parish,  church  and 
convent,  more  than  the  priests  and  friars  can  say  in  a  year 
for  ever  since  the  comedy  of  the  mass  began  to  be  acted  on 
the  stage  of  the  church,  the  bigots  of  it  successively  have 
Bettled  masses  every  year;  the  priests  and  friars  then  cannot 
discharge  their  conscience,  u^iile  they  keep  the  people  ignor- 
ant of  the  trulh  of  the  matter. 

Thus  they  blind  the  people:  Suppose  to  be  in  a  convent  ore 
hundred  friars  and  priests,  and  that  in  that  convent  are  tv  o 
hundred  private  and  public  masses  settled  every  day,  the 
charity  of  one  hundred  is  a  manifest  fraud  and  robbery,  for 
they  receive  it,  and  cannot  say  the  masses.  And  ncvcrthe- 
ese,  they  accept  every  day  new  foundations  and  settlements 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  127 

of  masses ;  for  if  the  people  ask  the  dean,  or  prior,  whether 
there  is  a  vacancy  for  a  mass,  they  will  never  answer  no;  and 
this  way  they  increase  the  yearly  rents  continually. 

This  is  to  be  understood  of  the  chapter  or  community,  and 
I  must  say,  that  the  chapters,  and  parish  churches,  are  not  bo 
hard  upon  the  people  as  the  convents  of  friars  are,  though 
ihey  are  not  so  rich  as  the  communities :  The  reason  is,  be- 
cause a  parish  priest  has,  during  his  life,  his  tithes  and  book- 
money.  But  a  prior  of  a  convent  commands  that  community 
only  three  years;  therefore,  while  the  ofhce  lasts,  they  en- 
deavor to  make  money  of  every  thing.  I  knew  several  priors 
very  rich  after  their  priorship ;  and  how  did  tliey  get  riches, 
but  by  blinding  and  cheating  the  people,  exacting  money  for 
masses  which  never  were  said,  nor  sung,  nor  ever  will  be? 

As  to  the  private  priests  and  friars,  and  their  cheating  way^, 
there  is  so  much  to  be  said  on  them  that  I  cannot,  in  so  small  a 
book  as  this  is,  give  a  full  account  of  all;  so  I  shall  only  tell 
the  most  usual  methods  they  have  to  heap  up  riches  by  gath- 
ering thousands  of  masses  every  year. 

Observe  first  of  all,  that  if  a  priest  is  a  parish  minister,  or 
vicar,  he  has  every  day  of  the  year  certain  families,  for  whose 
souls,  or  the  souls  of  their  ancestors,  he  is  to  celebrate  and 
offer  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass.  And  if  he  is  a  friar,  he  has 
but  one  mass  every  week  left  to  him,  for  six  days  he  is  obliged 
to  say  mass  for  the  community :  S  j  by  this  certain  rule,  a  pa- 
rish minister  cannot  in  conscience  receive  any  money  for 
masses,  when  he  knows  he  cannot  say  more  masses  than  those 
settled  for  every  day  in  the  year;  and  by  the  same  rule,  a 
friar  cannot  in  conscience  receive  more  money  than  for  fifiy- 
two  masses  every  year,  and  consequently  those  that  receive 
more  are  deceivers  of  the  poor  ignorant  people,  robbers  of 
their  money,  and  commit  sacrilege  in  so  doing. 

And  that  they  take  more  than  they  in  justice  can,  shall  ap- 
pear in  several  instances. 

First:  I  never  saw  either  secular  or  regular  priests  refuse 
(he  charity  for  a  mass,  when  a  christian  soul  asked  them  to 
jay  it;  and  I  knev/  hundreds  of  priests  mighty  officious  in  ask- 
mg  masses  from  all  sorts  of  people. 

Secondly:  In  all  families  whatsoever,  if  -in^  one  is  dan- 
gerously sick,  there  are  continually  friars  and  priests  waiting 
till  the  person  dies,  and  troubling  the  chief  of  the  family  with 
petitions  for  masses  for  the  soul  of  the  deceased;  and  i^  ne  is 
rich,  the  custom  is,  to  distribute  among  all  the  convents  and 
parishes  one  thousand,  or  more  masses  to  be  said  the  day  of 


128  >L\STKR-KEY  TO  POPKRY. 

burial.  When  the  Marquis  of  St.  Martin  died,  his  lady  dis 
tributed  a  hundred  thousand  masses,  for  which  she  paid  the 
very  same  day  five  thousand  pounds  sterling,  besides  one  thou- 
sand masses,  which  she  settled  upon  all  the  convents  and  pa- 
rish churches,  to  be  said  every  year  forever,  which  amounts 
to  a  thousand  pistoles  a  year  forever. 

Thirdly:  The  friars,  most  commonly,  are  rich,  and  have 
nothing  of  their  own  (as  they  say);  some  are  assisted  by  their 
parents,  but  these  are  very  few.  They  give  two  thirds  of 
whatever  they  get  to  the  community;  and  in  some  strict  orders 
the  friars  ought  to  give  all  to  the  convent;  nevertheless,  they 
are  never  without  money  in  their  pockets,  for  all  sorts  of  diver- 
sions ;  and  it  is  a  general  observation,  that  a  friar  at  cards  is  a 
resolute  man;  for  as  he  does  not  work  to  get  money,  or  is  sure 
of  getting  more  if  he  lose,  he  does  not  care  to  put  all  on  one 
card;  therefore  gentlemen  do  not  venture  to  play  with  them, 
so  they  are  obliged  to  play  with  one  another. 

I  saw  several  friars  who  had  nothing  in  the  world  but  the 
allowance  of  their  community,  and  the  charity  of  52  masses  a 
year,  venture  on  the  card  50  pistoles ;  another  lose  200  pistoles 
in  half  an  hour's  time,  and  the  next  day  have  money  enough 
to  play.  And  this  is  a  thing  so  well  known,  that  many  of  our 
officers  that  have  been  in  Spain,  can  certify  the  truth  of  it,  as 
eye-witnesses. 

Now,  as  to  the  method  they  have  to  pick  up  money  for  so 
many  masses,  they  do  not  tell  it;  but  as  I  never  was  bound  not 
to  discover  it,  and  (he  discovery  of  it,  I  hope,  will  be  very  use 
ful  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  though  disadvantageous  to  priests 
and  friars,  I  think  myself  obliged,  in  conscience,  to  reveal  this 
never-revealed  secret,  for  it  is  for  the  public  good,  not  only  of 
protestants,  who  by  this  shall  know  thoroughly  the  cheats  of 
the  Romish  priests,  but  of  the  lloman  Catholics  too,  who  bo- 
stow  their  money  for  nothing  to  a  people  that  make  use  of  it  to 
ruin  their  souls  and  bodies. 

The  thing  is  this,  that  the  friars  are  said  to  have  a  privilege 
from  the  pope  (I  never  saw  such  a  privilege  myself,  though  I 
did  all  my  endeavors  to  search  and  find  it  out)  of  a  cerdenmia 
missa,  i.  e.  a  brief,  where  the  pope  grants  them  the  privilege 
of  saying  one  mass  for  a  hundred;  which  privilege  is  divulged 
among  priests  and  friars,  who  keep  it  a  secret  among  them- 
selves: so  that,  as  they  say,  one  mass  is  equivalent  to  a  hun 
dred  masses.  I  did  not  question  when  I  was  in  the  commu 
nion,  that  the  pope  could  do  that  and  more,  but  I  was  suspi 
fiious  of  the  truth  of  such  a  grant.     Now  observe  that  by  tJiit 


MASTEP-KET  TO  POPERY.  129 

brief,  every  friar,  havii  g  for  himself  52  masses  free  every 
year,  and  one  mass  being  as  good  as  a  hundred,  he  may  get 
the  charity  of  5200  masses,  and  the  least  charity  for  every 
mass  being  two  reals  of  plate,  i.  e.  fourteen  pence  of  our 
money,  he  may  frei  near  300  pounds  a  year. 

The  secular  priests,  by  this  brief  of  centenaria  missa,  have 
more  masses  than  the  private  friars ;  for  though  they  have  365 
settled  masses  to  say  in  a  year,  they  have,  and  may  get  the 
charity  of  99  masses  every  day,  which  comes  to  3,006,135 
masses  every  year.  In  the  convents  that  have  120  friars,  and 
some  400,  the  prior,  having  6  masses  every  week  from  each 
of  his  friars,  by  the  same  rule,  the  prior  may  have  millions  of 
millions  of  masses. 

Hear  now,  how  they  do  amuse  the  credulous  people :  If  a 
gentleman,  or  gentlewoman,  or  any  other  person  goes  to 
church,  and  desires  one  mass  to  be  said  for  such  or  such  a 
soul,  and  to  be  present  at  it,  there  is  always  a  friar  ready,  from 
six  in  the  morning,  till  one,  to  say  mass.  He  takes  the  charity 
for  it,  and  he  goes  to  say  it,  M'hich  he  says  for  that  soul,  as  T 
say  now :  For  till  such  time,  as  he  gets  the  charity  of  a  hun- 
dred masses,  which  is  above  five  pounds  sterling,  he  w  ill  not 
say  his  own  mass,  or  the  mass  for  him.  And  so  the  rest  of  the 
friars  do,  and  many  priests  too.  The  person  that  has  given 
the  charity,  and  has  heard  the  mass,  goes  home  fully  satisfied 
that  the  mass  has  been  said  for  him,  or  to  his  intention. 

As  to  the  communities :  If  somebody  dieth,  and  the  execu- 
tors of  the  testament  go  to  a  father  prior,  and  beg  of  him  to 
say  a  thousand  masses,  he  gives  them  a  receipt,  whereby  the 
masses  are  said  already;  for  he  makes  them  believe  that  he 
has  more  masses  said  already  by  his  friars  to  his  own  inten- 
tion, and  that  out  of  the  number  he  applies  1000  for  the  soul 
of  the  dead  person;  so  the  executors  upon  his  word  take  the 
receipt  of  the  masses,  which  they  want  to  show  to  the  Vicar 
General,  who  is  to  visit  the  testament,  and  see  every  spiritual 
thing  ordered  in  it,  accomplished  accordingly. 

This  custom  of  asking  money  for  masses  is  not  only  among 
the  friars^  but  among  the  beatas,  nuns,  and  whores  too,  for  a 
beata,  with  an  aftected  air  of  sanctity  goes  up  and  down  to 
visit  the  sick,  and  asks  beforehand  many  masses  from  the 
heads  of  families,  alleging  that  by  her  prayers  and  so  many 
masses,  the  sick  may  be  recovered  and  restored  to  his  former 
health;  but  these,  if  they  get  money  for  masses,  they  give  it 
to  their  spiritual  confessors,  who  say  them  as  the  beata  ordrnr- 
eth.    And  uceordiug  to  their  custom  and  belief,  there  l4  no 


130  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  ' 

harm  9t  all  in  so  doing.  The  evil  is  in  the  nuns^  who  get  ev- 
ery where  abundance  of  masses,  on  pretence  they  have  priests 
and  friars  of  their  relations,  who  want  the  charity  of  masses. 
And  Avhat  do  they  with  the  money?  Every  nun  having  a 
DevotOy  or  gallant  to  serve  her,  desireth  him  to  sa}^  so  man}' 
masses  for  her,  and  to  give  her  a  receipt;  he  promises  to  do 
it,  but  he  never  doth  say  the  masses,  though  he  give*h  a  re- 
ceipt: so  the  nun  keeps  the  money,  the  friar  is  paid  by  her  in 
an  unlawful  way,  the  people  are  cheated,  and  the  souls  in 
purgatory  (if  there  was  such  a  place)  shall  remain  there  for- 
ever, for  want  of  relief. 

But  the  worst  of  all  is,  that  a  public,  scandalous  woman 
will  gather  together  a  number  of  masses,  on  pretence  that  she 
has  a  cousin  in  such  a  convent,  w4io  wants  masses,  i.  e-.  the 
charity  for  them.  And  what  use  do  they  make  of  them? — 
This  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord.  They  have  many  friars 
who  visit  them  unlawfully,  and  pay  for  it  in  masses;  so  the 
woman  keeps  the  money  in  payment  of  her  own  and  their  sins, 
gets  a  receipt  from  the  friars,  and  these  never  say  the  masses; 
for  hov/  can  we  believe  that  such  men  can  offer  the  holy  sacri- 
fice (as  they  call  the  mass)  for  such  a  use?  And  if  they  do  it, 
which. is,  in  all  human  probability,  impossible,  who  would  not 
be  surprised  at  these  proceedings?    Every  body  indeed. 

There  is  another  custom  in  the  church  of  Rome,  which 
brings  a  great  deal  of  profit  to  the  priests  and  friars,  viz.  the 
great  masses  of  brotherhoods,  or  fraternities.  In  every  parish 
church,  and  especially  in  every  convent  of  friars  and  nuns, 
there  is  a  number  of  these  fraternities,  i.  e.  corporations  of 
tradesmen;  and  every  corporation  has  a  saint  for  their  advo- 
cate or  patron,  viz.  the  corporation  of  shoe-makers  has  for  an 
advocate  St.  Chrispin  and  Chrispinia :  the  Butchers  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, &c.  and  so  of  the  rest.  There  is  a  prior  of  the 
corporation,  who  celebrates  the  day  of  their  advocate  with  a 
solemn  mass,  music,  candles,  and  after  all,  an  entertainment 
for  the  members  of  the  fraternity,  and  all  the  friars  of  the 
community.  To  this  the  corporation  gives  eight  dozen  of 
white  wax  candles  to  illuminate  the  altar  of  their  patron, 
when  the  solemn  mass  is  sung,  and  whatever  remains  of  the 
candles  goes  to  the  convent.  The  prior  payeth  to  the  commu- 
nity 20  crowns  for  the  solemn  mass,  and  10  crowns  to  the 
musicians.  The  day  following  the  corporation  gives  3  dozen 
yellow  candles,  and  celebrates  an  anniversary,  and  have  many 
masses  sung  for  the  relief  of  their  brethren's  souls  in  purga 
-oryj  for  every  mass  they  pay  a  crown.    And  bosid^a  al* 


^L\STi:n-KKY    TO    POPKRY.  131 

Uiese,  the  corpr^ration  lias  a  mass  settled  every  Friday,  wliich 
is  to  be  sung  fur  the  relief  of  ihe  breihrerrs  souls,  for  which 
and  candles,  the  convent  receiveth  6  croMns  every  Friday. 
There  is  not  one  church  nor  convent  without  two  or  three  of 
these  corporations  every  week:  for  there  are  sail  ts  enough 
in  the  church  for  it,  and  by  these  advocates  of  the  friars,  ra- 
ther than  of  the  mcmoers  of  the  corporation,  ever_)  body  may 
form  aright  judgment  of  the  riches  the  priests  and  friars  get 
by  these  means. 

One  thing  I  ca  mot  pass  by,  though  it  has  no  relation  with 
the  main  subjec.of  the  mass;  and  this  is,  that  after  the  sol- 
emn mass  is  finished,  the  prior  of  the  corporal  ion,  with  his 
brethren,  and  the  prior  of  the  convent,  with  his  friars,  go  all 
together  to  the  refectory  or  common  hall,  to  dinner,  there  they 
make  rare  demonstrations  of  joy,  in  honor  of  the  advocate  of 
that  corporation.  The  prior  of  the  convent  makes  a  short 
speech  before  dinner,  recommending  to  them  to  eat  and  drink 
heartily,  for  afcer  they  have  paid  all  the  honor  and  reverence 
to  their  advocate  that  is  due,  they  ought  to  eat,  and  drink,  and 
be  merry;  so  they  drink  till  they  are  happy,  though  not 
drunk. 

I  heard  a  pleasant  story,  reported  in  tov,n,  from  a  faithful 
person,  who  assured  me  ho  sav/,  himself,  a  friar  come  out  of 
the  refectory,  at  8  at  night,  and  as  he  came  out  of  the  con- 
vent's gate,  the  moon  shining  that  night,  and  the  shadow  of  the 
house  being  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  the  merry  friar  think 
ing  that  the  light  of  the  moon,  in  the  other  half  part  of  the 
street,  was  water,  he  took  off  his  shoes  and  stockings,  and  so 
walked  till  he  reached  the  shadow;  and  being  ;  ^ked  by  my 
friend  the  meaning  of  such  extravagant  folly,  t::o  friar  cried 
out,  a  miracle,  a  7nirade!  The  gentleman  thou  f:  It  that  the  fri- 
ar was  mad:  but  he  cried  the  more,  a  imradcl  a  miracle! — 
Where  is  the  7nvracle?  (the  peo})le  that  came  to  the  windows 
asked  him;)  I  came  this  irdnute  through  this  river,  (said  he)  mid 
I  did  not  wet  the  soles  of  my  feet;  and  then  he  desired  the 
neighbors  to  come  and  be  witnesses  of  the  miracle.  In  such 
a  condition  the  honor  of  the  advocate  of  that  day  did  put  the 
reverend  friars;  and  this  and  the  like  effects  such  festivals 
occasion,  both  in  the  members  of  the  convents  and  corporation. 

Now  Iconre  to  the  means  and  persuasions  the  friars  niake 
use  of  for  the  extolling  and  praising  this  inestimable  sacrifice 
of  the  mass,  and  the  great  ignorance  of  the  people  in  believing 
them.  First  of  all,  as  the  people  know  the  debaucheries  and 
lewd  lives  of  nrany  friars  and  priests,  sometimes  they  are  lotu 


132  MASTER-KLY  TO  POPKHY. 

to  desire  a  sinful  friar  to  say  mass  f  ;r  therr ,  thinking  that  his 
muss  cannot  be  so  acceptable  to  God  Almiglity  as  that  which  is 
said  by  a  priest  of  good  morals :  So  far  the  people  are  illumi- 
nated by  nature;  but  to  this,  priests  and  friars  make  them  be- 
lieve, that  though  a  priest  be  the  greatest  sinner  in  the  world, 
the  sacrifice  is  of  the  same  efficacy  with  God,  since  .w  is  the 
sacrifice  made  by  Christ  on  the  Cross  for  all  sinners ;  and  that 
it  was  so  declared  by  the  pope,  and  the  council  of  Trent. 

Put  it  together  with  what  the  same  council  declares,  that  the 
priest  doth  not  only  represent  Christ  when  he  offereth  the  sac- 
rifice, but  that  he  is  the  very  person  of  Christ  at  that  time,  and 
that  therefore  David  calls  them  Christs  by  these  words:  Nolite 
tangere  Chrhtos  nicos.  O  execrable  thing!  If  the  priest  is 
the  very  Christ  in  the  celebration  of  the  mass,  how  can  he  at 
the  same  time  be  a  sinner?  It  being  certain  that  Christ  knew 
no  sin :  and  if  that  Christ  Priest,  offering  the  sacrifice,  is  in 
any  actual  moral  sin,  how  can  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  which 
is  (as  to  them)  the  same  sacrifice  Christ  did  offer  to  his  eter- 
nal Father  on  the  cross,  be  efficacious  to  the  expiation  of  the 
sins  of  all  people  ?  For,  in  the  first  place,  that  sacrifice  offer- 
ed by  a  Priest-Christ,  in  an  actual  mortal  sin,  cannot  be  an  ex- 
piation of  the  sin  by  which  the  priest  is  spiritually  dead.  Sec- 
ondly, if  the  Christ-Priest  is  spiritually  dead  by  that  mortal 
sin,  how  can  such  a  priest  offer  a  lively  spiritual  sacrifice? — 
We  must  conclude  then,  that  the  priests,  by  such  blasphemous 
expressions,  not  only  deceive  the  people,  but  rob  them  of 
their  money,  and  commit  a  high  crime,  but  that  the  sacrifice 
he  offers  is  really  of  no  effect  or  efficacy,  to  the  relief  of  the 
souls  m  the  pretended  purgatory. 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  appears  that  the  priests  and 
friars  make  use  of  whatever  means  they  can  to  cheat  the  peo- 
ple, to  gratify  their  passions,  and  increase  their  treasure. 
For  what  cheat,  fraud,  and  roguery,  can  bs  greater  than  this 
of  the  centenaria  missa  with  which  they  suck  up  the  money 
of  poor  and  rich,  without  performing  what  they  promise? 

If  the  pope's  privilege  for  that  hundred  mass  was  really  true, 
natural  reason  shews,  it  was  against  the  pubUc  good,  and  there- 
fore ought  not  to  be  made  use  of:  for  by  it,  friars  and  priests 
will  never  quench  their  thirst  of  money  and  ambition,  till  they 
draw  to  them  the  riches  of  Christendom,  and  by  these  means, 
they  will  wrong  the  supposed  souls  in  purgatory,  and  ruin  their 
own  too.  Decency  in  the  sacerdotal  ornaments  is  agreeable 
to  God  our  Lord,  but  vanity  and  profaneness  is  an  abomma- 
tion  before  him.  Of  what  use  can  all  the  riches  of  their  churchet 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERT  133 

and  ornaments  be  ?  To  make  the  sacrifice  of  the  maE3  more 
efficacious,  it  cannot  be  for;  the  efficacy  of  it  proceeds  from 
Christ  himself,  who  made  use  of  different  ornaments  than  those 
the  priests  make  use  of.  Nor  is  it  to  satisfy  their  own  ambi- 
tion, for  they  could  get  more  by  saying  them ;  it  is  only  to 
make  Mistress  Mass  the  more  admired,  and  gain  the  whole 
people  to  be  her  followers  and  courtiers. 

O  that  the  Roman  laity  would  consider  the  weight  of  these 
Christian  observations,  and  if  they  will  not  believe  them  be- 
cause they  are  mine,  I  heartily  beg  of  them  all,  to  make  pious 
and  serious  reflections  upon  themselves,  to  examine  the  designs 
of  the  priests  and  friars,  to  mind  their  lives  and  conversations; 
to  observe  their  works;  to  cast  up  accounts  every  year,  and  see 
how  much  of  their  substance  goes  to  the  clergy  and  church  for 
masses.  Sure  I  am,  they  will  find  out  the  ill  and  ambitious 
designs  of  their  spiritual  guides.  They  will  experience  their 
lives  not  at  all  (most  commonly,)  answerable  to  their  charac- 
ters, and  sacerdotal  functions;  and  more,  their  own  substances 
and  estates  diminished  every  year.  Many  of  their  families 
corrupted  by  the  wantonness,  their  understandings  blinded  by 
the  craf^,  their  souls  in  the  way  to  hell,  by  the  wicked  doc- 
trines, and  their  bodies  under  suffering  by  the  needless  impo- 
sitions rf  priests  and  friars. 

They  will  find  also,  that  the  pomp  and  brightness  of  a  solemn 
mass,  is  only  vanity  to  amuse  the  eyes,  and  a  cheat  to  rob  the 
purse.  That  the  centcnaria  missa  never  known  to  them  be- 
fore, ir  a  trick  and  invention  of  priests  and  friars,  to  delude 
and  deceive  them,  and  by  that  means  impoverish  and  weaken 
them,  and  make  themselves  masters  of  all. 

They  will  come  at  last  to  consider  and  believe,  that  the  Ro 
man  Catholic  Congregations,  ruled  and  governed  by  priests  and 
friars,  do  sin  against  the  Lord,  i.  e.  the  spiritual  heads  do  com- 
mit abomination  before  the  Lord,  and  that  they  cannot  prosper 
here,  nor  hereafter,  if  they  do  not  leave  off  their  wicked  ways. 
Pray  read  the  fitlh  chapter,  the  seventeenth  verse,  and  the 
following,  of  Judith,  and  you  shall  find  the  case  and  the  truth 
of  my  last  proposition.  While  (>  ays  he)  these  people  sinned 
not  before  their  God,  they  prospered,  because  the  God  thai  ha- 
teth  iniquity  was  with  them.  But  when  they  departed  from  the 
way  that  he  appointed  them,  they  icei-e  destroyed.  This  w  as 
spoken  of  the  Jews,  but  we  may  understand  it  of  all  nations, 
and  especially  of  the  Romans,  who  are  very  much  of  a  ciece 
with  the  Jews  of  old,  or  no  better.  We  see  the  priests  uc  par- 
ted from  the  way  that  he  appointed  them,  l-Vhat  can  they 
M 


134  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERr. 

expect  but  destruction,  if  they  do  not  leave  off  their  vickerj- 
uess,  and  turn  unto  the  Lord  ?  And  the  worst  is,  tha  the  in- 
nocent laity  will  suffer  with  them,  for  God  punishes,  as  we  see 
in  the  old  testament,  a  whole  nation  for  the  sins  of  their  rulers. 
And  it  is  to  be  feared  the  same  will  happen  to  the  Roman 
church,  for  the  sins  of  their  priests.  May  God  enlighten  them. 
— Amen. 

ARTICLE  n. 
Of  the  pidvileged  altar. 

A  privileged  altar  is  the  altar  to  which  (or  to  some  image  on 
It)  the  pope  has  granted  a  privilege  of  such  a  nature,  that  who- 
soever says  before  it,  or  before  the  image,  so  many  pater  fios- 
ters,&z>c.;  and  so  many  ave  maria^s,  \viih  gloria  patri,  &.c, 
obtains  remission  of  his  sins,  or  relieveth  a  soul  out  of  purga- 
tory. Or  whoever  ordereth  a  mass  to  be  said  on  the  ara  ot 
«uch  an  altar,  and  bcfjre  the  image,  has  the  privilege  (as  they 
believe)  to  take  out  of  purgatory  that  soul  for  which  the  sac- 
rifioe  of  the  mass  is  offered. 

The  Cardinals,  Patriarchs,  Primates,  Archbishops  and  Bish- 
ops, can  grant  to  any  image  forty  days  of  full  and  free  indul- 
gence, and  fifteen  quarantains  of  pardon,  for  those  that  visit 
the  said  image,  and  say  such  a  prayer  before  it  as  they  have 
appointed  at  the  granting  of  such  graces :  So  not  only  the  im- 
ages of  the  altars  in  the  church,  but  several  images  in  the  cor- 
ners of  the  streets,  and  on  the  highway,  have  those  graces 
granted  to  them  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocess:  nay,  the  beads, 
or  rosary  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  of  some  considerable  persons, 
have  the  same  grants.  And  what  is  yet  more  surprisin;?,  the 
picture  of  St.  Anthony 'S  pig,  which  is  placed  at  the  saint's  feet, 
has  the  granting  of  fifteen  quarantains  of  pardon  of  sins  for 
those  that  visit  and  pray  before  him.  \^liat  the  people  do  on 
St.  Martin's  day,  I  shall  tell  in  another  chapter. 

I  will  not  dispute  now,  Avhether  the  popes  and  bishops  have 
authority  to  grant  such  privileges;  but  I  only  say,  that  1  do  not 
believe  such  a  dream:  for  the  pope  has  usurped  the  suprema- 
cy and  infallibility,  and  his  ambition  being  so  great,  he  never 
will  dispossess  himself  of  a  thing  by  which  he  makes  himself 
more  supreme,  mfallible,  and  rich;  by  keeping  all  those  gra- 
ces in  his  own  hands,  he  would  oblige  all  the  bigots  o  seek 
after  him  and  pay  him  for  them,  and  have  him  in  more  vener- 
ation than  otherwise  he  would  be  in. 

These  privileges  are  a  great  furtherance  to  carry  on  the 
ecclesiastical  interests,  and  to  bring  the  people  to  offer  their 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  135 

prayers  and  money,  and  to  be  blinded  and  deceived  by  those 
papal  inventions,  But  because  I  have  already  treated  of  these 
privileges,  I  proceed  to  the  third  article. 

ARTICLE  m. 
Of  Transuhstantiation,  or  the  Eucharist. 

T  shall  say  nothing  touching  the  scholastic  opinions  of  the 
Koniish  church,  about  the  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  or  tho 
real  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  it;  for  these  are  well  known 
by  our  learned  and  well  instructed  laity:  so  I  will  confme  my- 
self wholly  to  their  practices  in  the  administration  of  this  sa- 
crament, and  the  worship  paid  to  it  by  the  priests  and  laity; 
and  what  strange  notions  the  preachers  put  in  the  people's 
heads  about  it. 

First,  as  to  the  administration  of  this  sacrament,  actual  or 
habitual  intention  being  necessary  in  a  priest,  to  the  validity 
and  efficacy  of  the  sacrament,  open  confession  and  repentan- e 
of  his  sins.  He  goes  to  consecrate  the  bread  and  wine,  and, 
(as  they  say,  believe,  and  mnke  the  people  believe)  with  five 
words  they  oblige  Jesus  Christ  to  descend  from  heaven  to  the 
host  with  his  body,  soul  and  divinity,  and  that  so  he  remains 
there  as  high  and  almighty  as  he  is  in  heaven;  which  they  en- 
deavor to  confirm  with  pretended  miracles,  saying,  that  many 
priests  of  pure  lives  have  seen  a  little  boy  instead  of  a  wafer, 
in  the  consecrated  host,  &c. 

In  winter,  twice  every  month,  and  in  summer,  every  week, 
the  priest  is  to  consecrate  one  great  host,  and  a  quantity  of 
small  ones,  which  they  do  in  the  following  manner : — After 
the  priest  has  consecrated  the  great  and  small,  besides  tlie 
host  which  he  is  to  receive  himself,  the  priests  of  the  parish, 
or  friars  of  the  convent,  come  in  two  lines,  with  wax  candles 
lighted  in  their  hands,  and  kneel  down  before  the  altar,  and 
begin  to  sing  an  hymn  and  anthem  to  the  sat  rament  of  the  al- 
tar (so  it  is  called  by  them);  then  the  priest  openeth  the  taber- 
nacle where  the  old  great  host  is  kept  between  two  crystals, 
an-i  takes  out  of  the  tabernacle  the  custodia,  and  a  cup  of 
sn^A  consecrated  wafers,  and  puts  them  on  tne  table  of  the 
altar;  then  he  takes  the  great  old  host,  eats  it,  and  so  he  dues 
the  small  ones ;  then  he  puts  the  nev/  great  consecrated  host 
between  the  two  crystals  of  the  custodia,  and  the  new  smaii 
ones  into  the  communion  cup,  because  the  small  ones  serve 
the  common  peDple.  Then  he  incenses  the  great  host  on  his 
ftnees,  and  ha  ^ing  a  white,  neat  towel  round  his  nock,  with 


.  36  JIAfiTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

Jie  ends  of  it  he  takes  the  cusiodia^  and  turns  to  the  people  and 
makes  the  figure  of  a  cross  before  the  people,  and  turning  to 
the  altar,  puts  the  custodia  and  the  cup  of  the  small  v/aters 
in  the  tabernacle,  and  locketh  the  door,  and  the  priests  go 
away. 

The  reason  why  the  great  host  and  the  small  ones  are 
renewed  twice  a  month  in  winter,  and  every  week  in  summer 
(as  they  say),  is  (mind  this  reason,  for  the  same  is  against 
them)  because  in  summer,  by  the  excessive  heat,  the  host  may 
be  corrupted  and  putrified,  and  produce  worms,  which  many 
times  has  happened  to  the  great  host,  as  I  myself  have  seen. 
So  to  prevent  this,  they  consecrate  every  week  in  summer 
time;  but  in  winter,  which  is  a  more  favorable  time  to  pre- 
serve the  host  trom  corruption,  only  once  in  a  fortnight.  If 
Christ  is  then  in  the  host  with  the  bod}^,  soul  and  divinity, 
and  David  says,  that  the  holy  one  (i.  e.  Christ  who  is  God 
blessed  forevermore)  never  shall  see  corruption^  how  comes  it, 
that  that  host,  that  holy  one,  tliat  Christ,  is  sometimes  cor- 
rupted and  putrified?  The  substance  of  bread  being  only 
subject  to  corruption,  being  vanished,  and  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ  substituted  in  its  place  this  body  by  a  just  inference  is 
corrupted;  which  is  against  the  scripture,  and  against  the 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Again:  I  ask,  whether  the  worms  engendered  in  that  host, 
come  out  of  the  real  bod}*  of  Christ,  or  out  of  the  material 
substance  of  the  host  ?  If  out  of  the  body  of  Christ,  every  body 
may  infer  from  this  the  consequences  his  own  fancy  suggests. 
And  if  they  say  that  the  worms  are  engendered  in  the  mate- 
rial substance  of  the  bread,  then  the  substance  of  the  bread 
remains  after  the  consecration,  and  not  (as  they  say)  the  real 
substance  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

Again:  It  is  a  rule  given  by  all  the  casuists,  that  that  host 
must  be  eaten  by  the  priest.  I  do  ask  the  priest  that  eats 
the  host  with  the  worms,  whether  he  believeth  that  host  and 
worms  to  be  the  real  body  of  Christ  or  not?  If  he  says  no, 
why  doth  he  eat  it  to  the  prejudice  of  his  own  health?  And  if 
he  believeth  it  to  be  the  real  body  of  Christ,  I  do  ask  again, 
whether  the  worms  are  Christ,  with  body,  soul,  and  divinity, 
or  not?  If  they  are  not,  I  give  the  said  instance:  And  if  they 
answer  in  the  affirmative;  then  I  say,  that  a  priest  did  not  eat 
the  host  and  worms,  (as  I  saw  myself,)  on  preten'^e  of  the 
loathing  of  his  stomach,  and  after  the  mass  was  ended,  he 
carried  the  host,  (two  priests  accompanying  him  with  two  can- 
dlei,)  and  throw  it  into  a  place   which  they  call  Piscina;  a 


MASTZR-KEY    TO    POPERY.  137 

place  where  they  throw  the  dirty  water  after  they  wash  their, 
hands,  which  runs  out  of  the  church  into  the  street.  What 
can  we  say  now  ?  If  the  worms  and  corrupted  host  is  the 
real  body  of  Christ,  see  what  a  value  they  have  for  him,  when 
they  throw  it  away  like  dirty  water;  and  if  that  host  comes  out 
of  the  running  piscina  into  the  street,  the  first  dog  or  pig  pas- 
sing by  (which  is  very  common  in  Spain)  may  eat  it.  And  if 
they  are  not,  besides  the  said  instance  of  eating  it  to  the  pre- 
judice of  their  health,  we  may  add  this,  namely:  Wliy  do  the 
priests  and  two  more  carry  the  host  in  form  of  procession,  and 
with  so  great  veneration,  with  lights  and  psalms,  as  if  it  was 
the  real  body  of  Christ? 

Now,  as  to  the  way  of  administering  the  sacrament  to  the 
people,  they  do  it  in  the  following  manner,  which  is  also 
against  the  fantastical  transubstantiation.  I  said  that  the  priest 
or  friar  consecrates  small  hosts  once  a  week,  to  give  them  to 
the  people  when  they  go  to  receive.  The  priest  in  his  sur- 
plice, and  with  the  stola  on,  goes  to  the  altar,  says  the  prayer 
of  the  sacrament,  opens  the  tabernacle,  and  taking  out  of  it 
the  cup,  opens  it,  and  turning  to  the  communicants,  takes  one 
of  the  wafers  with  his  thumb  and  the  foremost  finger  of  his 
right  hand,  lifts  it  up,  and  says,  See  the  lamh  of  God  that  taJc- 
eth  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  which  he  repeats  three  times; 
and  after  goes  straightway  to  the  communicants,  and  puts  a 
wafer  into  each  of  their  mouths.  When  all  have  received,  he 
puts  the  cup  again  into  the  tabernacle,  and  goes  to  the  vestry. 
This  is  when  the  people  receive  before  or  after  mass;  but 
when  they  receive  at  mass,  the  priest  consecrates  for  himself 
a  great  host,  and  after  he  has  eaten  it,  he  takes  the  cup  out  of 
the  tabernacle  and  gives  the  small  wafers,  consecrated  before 
by  another  priest,  to  the  communicants,  and  putting  again  the 
cup  into  the  tabernacle,  or  sacrarium,  (as  they  call  it,)  drinks 
the  consecrated  wine  himself. 

I  will  not  spend  my  time  in  proving,  that  the  denying  of 
the  chalice  to  the  laity  is  a  manifest  error,  and  that  it  is  only  to 
extol  and  raise  the  ecclesiastical  dignity  to  the  highest  pitch: 
But  I  come  to  their  ridiculous,  nonsensical  practices  in  several 
accidental  cases,  viz:  First,  I  myself  gave  iho  sacrament  to  a 
lady,  who  had  on  that  day  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  but  slie  did 
not  open  her  mouth  wide  enough  to  lei  the  wafer  on  her  tongue, 
and  by  my  carelessness  it  fell  upon  one  of  ner  sleeves,  anil 
from  thence  to  the  ground ;  I  ordered  her  rjot  to  quit  the  place 
till  I  had  done ;  so,  after  the  communion  was  over,  I  went  to  hei 
again,  and  cutting  a  piece  of  the  sleeve,  where  the  wafer  ha<f 

m2 


138  MASTER-KEY  TO  I'Ol'ERY. 

Couched,  and  scratching  the  ground,  I  took  both  the  piece  and 
dust,  and  carried  them  to  the  piscina;  but  I  was  suspended 
ab  officio  and  beneficio  for  eight  days,  as  a  punishment  for  my 
distraction,  and  not  minding  well  my  business.  But  this  rule 
and  custom  of  throwing  into  the  i/iscina,  among  the  dirty  wa- 
ter, every  thing  that  the  host  had  touched,  they  ought  to  throw 
the  fingers  of  the  priest,  or  at  least  the  tongues  of  men  and 
women  into  the  same  place;  and  thus,  their  tricks  and  super- 
stitious ceremonies  never  would  be  discovered  nor  spread 
abroad.  How  inconsistent  this  custom  is  with  right  sense  and 
reason,  every  body  may  see. 

Secondly.  In  the  Dominican's  convent  it  happened,  that  a 
lady  who  had  a  lap-dog,  which  she  always  used  to  carry  along 
with  her,  went  to  receive  the  sacrement  with  the  dog  under 
her  arm,  and  the  dog  looking  up  and  beginning  to  bark  when 
the  fiiar  v/ent  to  put  the  wafer  in  the  lady's  mouth,  he  let  the 
wafer  fall,  which  happened  to  drop  into  the  dog's  mouth.  Both 
the  friar  and  the  lady  were  in  a  deep  amazement  and  confu- 
sion, and  knew  not  what  to  do;  so  they  sent  for  the  reverend 
father  prior,  vvho  resolved  this  nice  point  upon  the  spot,  and 
ordered  to  call  two  friars  and  the  clerk,  and  to  bring  the  cross, 
and  two  candlesticks  with  two  candles  lighted,  and  to  carry 
the  dog  in  from  the  procession  into  the  vestry,  and  keep  the 
poor  little  creature  there  with  illuminations,  as  if  he  was  the 
host  itself,  till  the  digestion  of  the  wafer  was  over,  and  then 
to  kill  the  dog  and  throw  it  into  the  piscina.  Another  friar 
said,  it  was  better  to  open  the  dog  immediately,  and  tiike  out 
the  fragments  of  the  host;  and  a  ihiid  was  of  opinion,  that 
the  dog  should  be  burnt  on  the  spot.  The  lady,  who  loved 
dearly  her  Cupid,  (this  was  the  dog's  name,)  entreated  the  fa- 
tlier  prior  to  save  the  dog's  life,  if  possible,  and  that  she  would 
give  any  thing  to  make  amends  for  ii.  Then  the  prior  and 
friars  retired  to  consult,  what  to  do  in  this  case;  ana  it  was  re- 
solved, that  the  dog  should  be  called  for  the  future,  El  peril lo 
del  Sacramento,  i.  e.  The  sacrament's  dog.  2.  That  if  the 
dog  should  happen  to  die,  the  lady  was  to  give  hirn  a  l>ury  ing 
in  consecrated  ground.  3.  That  the  lady  should  take  care 
not  to  let  the  dog  play  with  other  dogs.  -  4.  I'hat  slie  v/  ^  lo 
give  a  silver  dog,  which  was  to  be  placed  upon  the  tabernacle 
where  the  hosts  are  kept.  And,  5.  That  she  should  g  ve 
twenty  pistoles  to  the  convent.  Every  article  was  performed 
accordingly,  and  the  dog  was  kept  with  a  great  deal  of  care 
and  veneration.  The  case  was  printed,  and  so  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  inquisitors,  and  Don  Pedro  Guerrero,  first  inquisi- 


ma3Tek-kj:y  to  roPEitv.  139 

.or,  tliinking  the  thing  very  scandalous,  sent  for  the  poor  dog, 
and  kept  him  in  the  inquisition  to  the  great  grief  of  the  lady. 
What  became  of  the  dog  nobody  can  tell.  This  case  is  wor- 
thy to  be  reflected  on  by  serious,  learned  men,  who  may  draw 
consequences  to  convince  the  Romans  of  the  follies,  covetous- 
ness,  and  superstitions  of  the  priests. 

This  I  aver,  that  after  this  case  v.'as  published,  it  was  dispu- 
ted on  in  all  the  moral  academics;  but  as  I  cannot  tell  all  the 
sentiments  and  resolutions  of  them,  I  will  confine  myself  to 
those  of  the  academy  of  the  holy  trinity,  wherein  I  was  pres- 
ent when  the  case  was  proposed  by  the  president,  in  the  fol- 
lowing terms : 

Most  reverend  and  learned  brethren — ^the  case  of  the  dog 
(blasphemously  called  the  sacrament's  dog)  deserves  your 
application  and  searching,  which  ought  to  be  carried  on  wi;h  a 
wise,  christian,  and  solid  way  of  arguing,  both  in  this  case,  or 
any  other  like  it.  For  my  part,  1  am  surprised  when  I  think 
of  the  irregular,  unchristian  method,  the  priors  and  friars  touk 
in  the  case,  and  both  the  case  and  their  resolution  call  for  our 
mature  consideration.  Thanks  be  to  God,  that  our  people 
give  full  obedience  to  our  moiher  the  church,  and  that  ihey  in- 
quire no  further  into  the  matter,  after  some  of  our  teachers 
have  advised  them;  otherwise  the  honor  and  reputation  of  our 
brethren  would  be  quite  ruined.  For  my  part,  (salva  Jldc,)  I 
think,  that  upon  the  same  case,  the  priest  ought  to  let  the  thing 
drop  there,  and  take  no  further  notice,  rather  than  to  give  oc- 
casion to  some  critics  to  scandalize,  and  to  laugh  at  the  whole 
clergy.  Besi  ^.es,  that  it  is  to  abate  the  incomparable  value  of 
the  EucJiaristia,  and  to  make  it  ridiculous  before  good,  sensi- 
ble men. 

Thus  the  president  spoke;  and  fifteen  members  of  the  acad- 
emy were  of  his  opinion.  .  One  of  the  members  said,  that  be- 
ing certain  that  the  dog  had  eaten  the  real  body  and  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  priest,  at'rer  the  communion  was  over,  was 
obliged  to  call  the  lady  in  private,  and  give  a  vomit  to  the  dog, 
and  to  cast  into  the  piscina  what  he  should  throw  up.  Another 
said,  that  the  sacrament  being  a  spiritual  nourishment  to  the 
soul,  he  was  obliged  to  ask  a  question,  and  it  was,  whether  the 
sensitive  soul  of  the  dog  v,as  nourished  by  the  Siicrament  or 
not?  All  agreed  in  the  aihrmative,  upon  which  the  question- 
ist  formed  the  following  argument:  The  soul  nourished  by  the 
sacrament  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  v.ho  is  eternal  life, 
is  immortal ;  but  the  sensitive  soul  ot  the  dog  was  nourished  by 
Christ,  according  to  your  opinions :    Ergo,  the  soul  of  the  dog 


140  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

IS  immortal;  then,  if  immortal,  whore  is  the  soul  to  go  after 
death;  to  heaven,  to  heli,  or  to  purgator}' ?  We  must  answer, 
to  neither  of  these  places :  So  we  disown  that  the  dog  did  eat 
the  body  of  Christ;  and  there  is  more  in  the  sa^rcment  than 
we  can  comprehend;  and  {salva  fide^  and  in  the  way  in  argu- 
ment) J  say,  that  the  dog  ate  what  we  see  in  the  host,  and  not 
what  we  believe.     Thus  the  member  ended  his  discourse. 

After  all  these  disputes,  the  case  was  thus  resolved:  that 
the  priest  should  ask  the  inquisitors'  advice,  who  being  the 
judges  in  matters  of  faith,  may  safely  determine  what  is  to  be 
done  in  such  a  case,  and  the  like. 

Thirdly.  I  have  already  said  in  another  place,  that  the 
reverend  father  friar  James  Garcia  was  reputed  among  the 
learned,  the  only  man  for  divinity  in  this  present  age ;  and  that 
he  was  my  master,  and  by  his  repeated  kindness  to  me,  I  may 
say,  that  I  was  his  well-beloved  di,?ciple.  I  was  to  defend  a 
public  thesis  of  divinity  in  the  university,  and  he  was  to  be 
president  or  moderator.  The  thesis  contained  the  follow- 
ing at  treises:  De  Essentia  et  Attribvtis  Dei:  De  Visions  Be- 
atijica:  De  Gratia  Justificcmte  ct  Auxiliante:  De  Providentia: 
De  Actu  Lihero:  De  Trinitaie:  and  De  Sacramerdis  in  gen- 
ere.  All  which  I  had  learned  from  him.  The  shortest 
treatisg,  of  all  he  taught  publicly  in  the  university,  was  the 
Eucharistia.  The  proofs  of  his  opinion  were  short,  and  the 
objections  against  them  very  succinct  and  dark.  I  must  con- 
fess, that  I  was  full  of  confusion,  and  uneasy  for  fear  that  some 
doctor  of  divinity  would  miake  an  argument  against  our  opin- 
ion, touching  the  sacrament  of  Eucharistia.  And  I  endeavored 
to  ask  my  master  to  instruct  me,  and  furnish  me  with  answers 
suitable  to  the  most  dithcult  objections  that  could  be  proposed ; 
but  though  he  desired  me  to  be  easy  about  it,  and  that,  upon 
necessity,  he  would  answer  for  me ;  I  replied  with  the  follow- 
ing objection :  God  will  never  punish  any  man  for  not  believing 
what  is  against  the  evidence  of  our  senses,  but  the  real  pres- 
ence in  Eucharistia  is  so:  Ergo^  {salva Jide,)  God  will  not 
punish  any  man  for  not  believing  the  real  presence  of  Christ 
there.  To  this  he  told  me  that  none  of  the  doctors  would  pro- 
pose such  an  argument  to  me,  and  he  advised  me  not  to  make 
such  an  objection  in  public,  but  to  keep  it  in  my  heart.  But 
father,  (said  I,)  I  ask  your  answer.  IMy  ansvrer  is  (said  he) 
aliud  Lingua  doceo,  aliiid  Corde  credo;  i.  e.  I  teach  one  things 
and  I  believe  another.  By  these  instances,  I  have  given  now, 
every  body  may  easily  know  the  corruptions  of  the  Romish 
church,  and  the   nonsensical  opinions  of  their  priests  and  sri- 


MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY.  141 

ars,  as  also,  that  the  learned  do  not  believe  in  their  hearts, 
that  there  is  such  a  monster  as  transuhstantiation,  though  for 
some  world! V  ends,  they  do  not  discover  their  true  senti- 
ments about  \*. 

Now  I  proceed  to  the  worship,  and  adorationj  both  the  clergy 
and  laity  pay  to  the  holy  host  or  sacrament. 

I  shall  not  say  any  thing  of  what  the  people  do,  when  the 
priests  in  a  procession  under  a  canopy  carried  the  sacrament 
to  the  sicl:,  for  this  custom  and  the  pomp  of  it,  and  the  idola- 
trous worship  and  adoration  offered  to  it,  is  well  known  by  our 
travellers  and  officers  of  the  army. 

Philip  the  IVth,  king  of  Spain,  as  he  was  a  hunting,  met  in 
the  way  a  crowd  of  people  following  a  priest,  and  asking  the 
reason,  he  was  told  that  the  priest  carried  the  consecrated  wa- 
fer in  his  bosom  to  a  sick  person ;  the  priest  walked,  and  the 
king,  leaving  his  horse,  desired  the  priest  to  mount  and  ride 
on  it,  and  holding  the  stirrup,  bareheaded,  he  followed  the 
priest  all  the  way  to  the  house,  and  gave  him  the  horse  for  a 
present.  From  the  king  to  the  shepherd,  all  the  people  pay 
the  same  adoration  to  the  holy  host,  which  shall  be  better 
known  by  the  pomp  and  magnificence  they  carry  the  great 
host  with,  in  the  solemn  festival  of  corpus  Christi,  or  of  Christ's 
body.  I  shall  describe  only  the  general  procession  made  on 
that  day  in  Saragossa,  of  which  I  was  an  eye-witness. 

Though  the  festival  of  corpus  Christi  be  a  moveable  feast, 
it  always  falls  on  a  Thursday.  That  day  is  made  the  great 
general  procession  of  corpus  Christi,  and  the  Sunday  follow- 
ing, every  congregation  through  the  streets  of  the  parish,  and 
every  convent  of  friars  and  nuns  through  the  cloisters  of  the 
convent  go  with  great  pomp  to  the  private  procession  c* 
Christ's  body.  As  to  the  general  great  one,  the  festival  is  or 
dered  in  the  following  manner : 

The  Dean  of  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator  sends  an 
officer  to  summon  all  the  communities  of  friars,  all"  the  clergy 
of  the  parish  churches,  the  Viceroy,  governor  and  magistrates, 
the  judges  of  the  civil  and  criminai  council,  with  the  lord 
chancellor  of  the  kingdom,  and  all  the  fraternities,  brother- 
hoods, or  corporations  of  the  city,  to  meet  together  on  the 
Thursday  following,  in  the  metropolitan  cathedral  church  of 
St.  Salvator,  with  all  the  standards,  trumpets,  giants,*  both  of 

*  Three  big  giant  men,  and  three  giant  women,  and  six  little  ones, 
drest  in  men  and  women"'s  clothes,  made  of  thin  wood,  and  carried  by 
*  man  hid  under  the  clothes.     The  big  ones  are  fifteen  feet  Digli,  which 


143  MASTER-KEY   TO   TOVERY. 

the  greater  or  lesser  size  in  their  respective  habits  of  office  or 
dignity,  and  all  the  clergy  of  the  parish  churches,  and  friars 
of  convents,  to  bring  along  with  them  in  a  procession,  with  due 
reverence,  all  the  silver  bodies  of  saints  on  a  base  or  pedestal, 
which  are  in  their  churches  and  convents.  ItC7n:  Orders  are 
published  in  every  street,  that  the  inhabitants  or  house-keep- 
ers are  to  clean  the  streets  which  the  sacrament  is  to  go 
through,  and  cover  the  ground  with  greens,  and  flowers,  and 
to  put  the  best  hangings  in  the  fronts  of  the  balconies,  and  win- 
dows: All  which  is  done  accordingly,-  or  else  he  that  does  not 
obey  and  perform  such  orders,  is  to  pay  20  pistoles  without 
any  excuse  whatsoever. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon,  the  viceroy  goes  in  state  with  the 
governor,  judges,  magistrates  and  officers,  to  meet  the  arch- 
bishop in  his  palace,  and  to  accompany  his  grace  to  church, 
where  all  the  communities  of  friars,  clergy  and  corporations, 
are  waiting  for  them.  The  dean  and  chapter  receive  them  at 
the  great  porch,  and  after  the  archbishop  has  made  a  prayer 
before  the  great  altar,  the  music  begins  to  sing,  Pange  lingua 
sloriosa,  while  the  archbishop  takes  out  of  the  tabernacle  the 
host  upon  the  rich  chalice,  and  placeth  it  on  the  great  custodia, 
on  the  altar's  table.  Then  the  quire  begins  the  evening  songs, 
in  which  the  archbishop  in  his  pontifical  habit  officiateth,  and 
when  all  is  over,  his  grace  giveth  the  blessing  to  the  people 
with  the  sacrament  in  his  hands.  Then  the  archbishop,  with 
the  help  of  the  dean,  archdeacon  and  chanter,  placeth  the  ens' 
todia  on  a  gilt  pedestal,  which  is  adorned  with  flowers  and  the 
jewels  of  several  ladies  of  quality,  and  which  is  carried  on  the 
shoulders  of  twelve  priests,  drest  in  the  same  ornaments  they 
say  mass  in.  This  being  done,  the  procession  begins  to  go  out 
of  the  church  in  the  following  order: 

First  of  all  the  bagpipe,  and  the  great  and  small  giants, 
dancing  all  along  the  streets.  2.  The  big  silver  cross  of  the 
cathedral,  carried  by  a  clerk-priest,  and  two  young  assistants, 
with  silver  candlesticks  and  lighted  candles.  3.  From  the 
cross  to  the  piper,  a  man  with  a  high  hook  goes  and  comes  back 
again  while  the  procession  lasts.  The  hook  is  called  St.  Paul's 
hook,  because  it  belongs  to  St.  Paul's  church.  That  hook  is 
very  sharp,  and  they  make  use  of  it  in  that  procession,  to  cut 
down  the  signs  of  taverns  and  shops,  for  fear  that  the  holy 
custodia  should  be  spoiled.  4.  The  standard  and  sign  of  the 
youngest  corporation,  and  all  the  members  of  it,  with  a  wax 

are  kept  in  the  hall  of  the  city,  for    the  magnificence    and   splendor  o# 
that  day. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  143 

candle  in  their  hands,  forming  two  lines,  whom  all  the  corpora- 
tions follow  one  after  another  in  the  same  order.  Tlioie  are 
thirty  corporations,  and  the  smallest  is  composed  <  f  thirty 
members.  5.  The  boys  and  girls  of  the  blue  hospital  with 
their  master,  mistress,  and  chaplain  in  his  aha  stola,  and  long 
sacerdotal  cloak.  6.  The  youngest  religion  (:he  order  of  St. 
Francis  is  called  St.  Francis'  religion,  and  so  are  all  orders, 
which  they  reckon  70,  and  which  wc  may  really,  in  the  phrase 
of  a  satirical  gentleman,  call  70  religions  without  religion 
with  their  reverend  and  two  friars  more  at  the  end  of  each  or 
der,  drest  in  the  ornaments  they  use  at  the  altar:  and  so  all 
the  orders  go  one  after  another  in  the  same  manner.  There 
are  20  convents  of  friars,  and  on  this  solemn  festival,  every 
one  being  obliged  to  go  to  the  procession,  we  reckon  there 
may  be  about  two  thousand  present  on  this  occasion;  and  IG 
convents  of  nuns,  the  number  of  them  by  regular  computation 
is  1500.  7.  The  clergy  of  the  youngest  parish,  v/ith  the  pa» 
rish  cross  before,  and  the  minister  of  it  behind  them  in  sacre*/ 
ornaments.  And  so  the  clergy  of  other  parishes  follow  cnt. 
another  in  the  same  order,  every  ti*iar  and  priest  having  a 
white  wax  candle  lighted  in  his  hand. 

The  n^nnber  of  secular  priests,  constantly  residing  in  Sara- 
fifossa,  is  1200  in  that  one  town:  So  by  the  said  account^  we 
find  all  the  ecclesiastical  persons  to  amount  to  4700,  when  the 
whole  of  the  inhabitants  come  to  15000  families. 

8.  The  clergy  of  the  cathedrals  of  St.  Salvator,  and  the  lady 
of  Pilar,  v/ith  all  their  sacerdotal  ornaments,  as  also  the  musi- 
cians of  both  cathedrals  which  go  before  the  custodia  or  sacra- 
ment, singing  all  the  way.  Then  the  12  priests  more,  that 
carry  the  canopy  under  which  the  sacrament  goes,  and  under 
♦.he  end  of  it  the  dean,  and  two  prebends,  as  deacon  and  sub- 
deacon.  The  archbishop  in  his  pontifical  habit  goes  at  the 
subdeacon's  right  hand,  the  viceroy  at  the  archbishop's,  and 
the  deacon  and  sabdeacon,  one  at  the  right  and  the  other  at  the 
left,  all  under  the  canopy.  Six  priests,  with  incense  ana  m- 
censaries  on  both  sides  of  the  custodia,  go  incensing  the  sacra- 
ment without  intermission;  for  while  one  kneels  down  before 
the  great  host,  and  incenses  it  three  times,  the  other  puts  in- 
cense in  his  incensary,  and  goes  to  relieve  the  other,  and  thus 
they  do,  from  the  coming  out  of  the  church,  till  they  return 
back  again  to  it. 

9.  The  great  chancellor,  presidents,  and  councils,  follow 
after,  and  after  all,  the  nobility,  men  and  women,  with  lighted 
candles.  This  procession  lasts  four  hours  from  the  time  it  goes 


lit  3VLVSTEK-KEY    TO    POrERY. 

out,  till  it  comes  into  the  church  again.  All  the  bells  of  the 
convents  and  parishes  ring  all  this  time ;  and  it'  there  were  not 
so  many  idolatrous  ceremonies  in  that  procession,  it  would 
be  a  great  pleasure  to  see  the  streets  so  richly  adorned 
with  the  best  hangings,  and  the  variety  of  persons  in  the 
procession. 

The  riches  of  that  procession  are  incredible  to  a  foreigner; 
but  matters  of  fact  (the  truth  of  which  may  be  inquired  into) 
must  be  received  by  all  serious  people.  I  have  spoken  already 
of  the  rich  custodia  which  the  archbishop  of  Sevil  gave  to  the 
cathedral,  and  of  the  rich  chalice  set  in  diamonds.  Now  be 
sides  these  two  things,  we  reckon  33  silver  crosses  belonging 
to  convents,  and  parish  churches,  ten  feet  high,  and  about  the 
thickness  of  the  pole  of  a  coach;  thirty-three  small  crosses 
which  the  priests  and  friars,  who  officiate  that  day,  carry  in 
their  hands;  these  crosses,  though  small,  are  richer  than  the 
big  one,  because  in  the  middle  of  the  cross  there  is  a  relic, 
'vhich  is  a  piece  of  wood  (as  they  say)  of  the  cross  on  which 
our  Saviour  was  crucified,  and  which  they  call  holy  icood. 
This  relic  is  set  in  precious  stones,  and  many  of  them  set  in 
diamonds.  Thirty-three  sacerdotal  cloaks  to  officiate  in,  made 
of  Tusy  d'or,  edged  with  pearls,  emeralds,  rubies,  and  other 
rich  stones.  Sixty-six  silver  candlesticks,  four  feet  high.  A 
large  gold  possenet,  and  a  gold  handle  for  the  hysop;  six  incen 
saries,  four  of  them  silver,  and  two  of  gold ;  four  silver  incense 
boxes,  and  two  gold  ones.  Three  hundred  and  eighty  silver 
bodies  of  saints  on  their  rich  gilt  pedestals,  of  which  two  bun  • 
dred  are  whole  bodies,  and  the  rest  half,  but  many  are  gilt, 
and  several  wear  mitres  on  their  heads,  embroidered  with  pre 
cious  stones. 

The  image  of  St.  Michael,  with  the  devil  under  his  feet,  and 
the  image  with  wings,  are  of  solid  silver,  gilt  all  over. 

With  this  magnificence  they  carry  the  sacrament  through 
the  principal  streets  of  the  city,  and  all  the  people  that  are  in 
the  balconies  and  lattice  windows  throw  roses  and  other  flow- 
ers upon  the  canopy  of  the  sacrament  as  it  goes  by.  When 
the  procession  is  over,  and  the  sacrament  placed  in  the  taber- 
nacle, there  is  a  stage  before  the  altar  to  act  a  sacramental  or 
divine  comedy,  which  lasts  about  an  hour,  and  this  custom  is 
practised  also  on  Christmas  eve.  By  these,  every  body  may 
know  their  bigotries,  superstitions  and  idolatries. 

Now  I  come  to  say  something  of  the  strange  notions  the 
priests  and  friars,  confessors  and  preachers,  put  in  the  people's 
beads,  concerning  the  host.  First,  they  preach  and  charge  the 


MASTER-KEY    TO    PLJPIRY.  145 

people  to  adore  the  sacrament,  but  never  to  touch  the  conse- 
crated host  or  wafer,  this  being  a  crime  against  /he  catholic 
faith,  and  that  all  such  as  dare  to  touch  it,  must  be  burned  in 
the  inquisition.  Secondly,  to  believe  that  the  real  flesh  and 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  is  in  the  Eucharist;  and  that,  though 
they  cannot  see  it,  they  ought  to  submit  their  understanding 
to  the  catholic  faith.  Thirdly,  tliat  if  any  body  could  lawful- 
ly touch  the  host,  or  wafer,  and  prick  it  with  a  pin,  blood 
would  come  out  immediately,  which  they  pretend  to  prove 
with  many  miracles,  as  that  of  the  corporales  of  Daroca,  which, 
as  it  comes  a  propos,  I  cannot  pass  by  without  giving  an  ac- 
count of  it. 

Daroca  is  an  ancient  city  of  the  kingdom  of  Aragon,  which 
bordereth  on  Castilla.  It  is  famous  among  the  Spaniards  for 
its  situation  and  strength,  and  for  the  mine  that  is  in  the  neigh- 
boring mountain  to  it.  For  the  floods  coming  with  impetuos- 
ity against  the  walls,  and  putting  the  city  in  great  danger,  the 
inhabitants  dug  three  hundred  yards  from  one  end  of  the  mount 
to  the  other,  and  made  a  subterranean  passage,  and  the  floods 
going  that  v/ay,  the  city  is  ever  since  free  from  danger.  But 
it  is  yet  more  famous  for  what  they  call  corporales.  The  st(> 
ry  is  thin : — When  the  Moors  invaded  Spain,  a  curate  near 
Daroca  took  all  imaginable  care  to  save  the  consecrated  wa- 
fers that  were  in  the  tabernacle,  and  not  to  see  them  profaned 
by  the  infidels,  and  open  enemies  of  their  faith.  There  were 
but  five  small  hosts  in  all,  which  he  put  with  the  fine  holland 
on  which  the  priest  puts  the  great  host  when  he  says  mass; 
and  this  piece  of  holland  is  called  corporales.  The  Moors 
were  at  that  time  near,  and  nobody  could  make  an  escape ; 
and  the  priest,  ready  to  lose  his  own  life,  rather  than  to  see  the 
host  profaned,  tied  the  corporales  with  the  five  wafers  in  it,  on 
a  blind  mule,  and  whipped  the  beast  out  of  town,  said.  Speed 
you  well,  for  I  am  sure  that  the  sacrament  on  your  back  will 
guide  you  to  some  place  free  from  the  enemies  of  our  religion. 
The  mule  journeyed  on,  and  the  next  day  arrived  at  Daroca, 
and  some  people  observed  the  corporales  tied  with  the  holy 
stola  to  the  mule's  belly,  were  surprised  at  so  rare  and  unex- 
pected a  thing,  and  called  a  priest  of  the  great  parish  church; 
he  came  to  the  mule,  and  examining  the  thing,  found  the  five 
wafers  converted  into  blood,  and  stamped  on  the  holland  cloth; 
which  spots  of  blood  (or  painting)  of  the  bigness  of  a  tenpenny 
piece,  are  preserved  till  this  present  time.  Then  the  priest 
cried  out,  a  miracle,  the  clergy  in  great  devotion  and  proces- 
gion  came  with  candles  and  a  canopy,  and  taking  tJie  muie 


146  MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

under  it,  went  to  the  great  church;  and  when  the  minister  of 
the  parish  had  taken  the  stola  and  corporales  from  off  the  mule, 
he  went  to  place  the  corporales  on  the  ara  altaris,  or  the  al- 
tar's table,  but  the  mule  not  well  pleased  with  it,  left  the  com- 
pany, and  went  up  to  the  steeple  or  belfry:  then  the  parish 
minister  (though  not  so  wise  as  the  mule)  followed  the  mule 
up  stairs,  and  seeing  the  beast  mark  a  place  there  with  its 
mouth,  he  soon  understood  that  the  mule  being  blind,  could 
neither  go  up,  nor  mark  that  place  without  being  inspired 
from  above ;  and  having  persuaded  the  people  of  the  same,  ail 
agreed  that  there  should  be  a  little  chapel  built  to  keep  the  ho- 
ly corporales.  When  this  resolution  was  approved  by  the 
clergy  and  laity,  the  mule  died  on  the  steeple.  At  the  same 
time  the  curate  having  made  his  escape,  and  by  divine  inspi- 
ration followed  the  mule's  steps,  came  to  Daroca,  and  telling 
the  whole  cause  of  his  putting  the  sacrament  on  the  mule  to 
save  it  from  profanation,  both  clergy  and  laity  began  to  cry 
out,  a  miracle  from  Heaven;  and  immediately  further  agreed, 
that  the  mule  should  be  embalmed  and  kept  before  the 
holy  corporales  in  the  steeple,  ad  perpciuam  Rei  Memori- 
am:  Item,  to  make  a  mule  of  the  best  stone  could  be  found, 
in  honor  of  the  mule,  and  that  for  the  future  his  name 
should  be  the  holy  mule.  Ail  things  being  done  according- 
ly, and  the  city  never  having  been  mastered  by  the  Moors, 
(as  the  inhabitants  say,)  they  instituted  a  solemn  festival,  to 
which  ever  since  the  neighbors,  even  fourteen  leagues  dis- 
tant, come  every  year.  Those  that  go  up  to  the  steeple  to 
see  the  holy  miracle  of  the  wafers  converted  into  blood,  and 
the  holy  mule,  must  pay  four  reals  of  plate.  The  people 
of  Daroca  call  it  sometiiiies,  the  holy  myatcry,  another  time 
the  holy  miracle;  the  sacrament  of  the  mule  by  some  ignorants; 
the  holy  sacrament  on  a  mulehy  the  wise,  &c.  I  myself  took  a 
journey  to  see  this  wonder  of  Daroca,  and  paying  the  fees, 
went  up  to  have  a  full  view  of  every  thing:  and  really,  I 
saw  a  mule  of  stone,  and  a  coffin  wherein  the  embalmed  mule 
was  kept,  (as  the  clerk  told  me,)  but  he  did  not  open  it,  for  the 
key  is  kept  always  at  the  bishop's  palace:  I  saw  likewise  the 
linen  with  live  red  spots  in  a  little  box  of  gilt  silver,  two  can 
dies  ahvays  burning  before  it;  and  a  glass  lamp  before  th^ 
mule's  coffin.  At  that  time  I  believed  every  part  of  the  story 
All  sorts  of  people  believe,  as  an  infallible  truth,  ihat  everj 
body's  sight  is  preserved  during  life  in  the  same  degree  ol 
strength  and  clearness  it  is  in  at  the  time  they  see  these  bloody 
ipots,  which  is  proved  by  many  instances  of  old  women,  whc 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  147 

by  that  means  have  excellent  eyes  to  the  last.  Item:  They 
give  out  that  no  blind  person  ever  came  before  the  corporales, 
without  his  sight  being  restored  to  himj  which  I  firmly  believe, 
for  no  blind  person -ever  was  up  in  the  steeple.  I  cannot 
s>vear  this,  bu*  I  have  very  good  reason  to  affirm  it;  for  in  the 
first  place,  there  is  a  small  book  printed,  called  "Directions 
for  the 'faithful  people,"  teaching  them  how  to  prepare  them- 
selves before  they  go  up  to  see  the  holy  mystery  of  the  corpo- 
rales of  Daroca.  One  of  the  advices  to  the  blind  is,  that  they 
must  confess  and  receive  the  sacrament,  and  have  the  soul  as 
clean  as  crystal,  and  to  endeavor  to  go  up  to  the  steeple  from 
the  altar's  table  without  any  guide ;  and  that  if  some  cannot  go 
as  far  as  the  chapel  of  the  belfry,  it  is  a  sign  that  that  man  is 
not  well  prepared.  The  distance  between  the  altar  and  the 
steeple's  door  is  about  forty  yards,  and  there  are  nine  strong 
pillars  in  the  body  of  the  church ;  so  the  poor  blind  people,  be- 
fore they  can  reach  the  belfry's  door,  commonly  break  their 
noses,  some  their  heads,  &lc.  And  some,  more  cautious  and 
careful,  and  happy  in  finding  out  the  door,  when  they  are  in 
the  middle  of  the  stairs,  find  a  snare  or  stock,  and  break  their 
legs  J  for  I  remember  very  well,  when  I  Ment  up  myg^if,!  saw 
a  sort  of  a  window  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the  steps,  and  ask- 
ing the  use  of  it,  tlie  clerk  told  me,  it  was  to  let  down  through 
it  the  rope  of  the  great  bell.  Then  I  inquired  no  farther;  but 
now,  being  sure  that  there  was  but  that  small  window  shut  up 
in  the  whole  pair  of  vvinding  stairs,  I  conclude,  that  it  could 
not  be  there  for  the  said  use,  and  in  all  probability  that  win- 
dow was  the  snare  to  catch  the  poor  blind  people  in.  There- 
fore, the  clerk  being  not  sure  of  the  miracle,  by  this  prevents 
the  discovery  of  the  want  of  virtue  in  the  holy  corporales,  to 
cure  all  diseases,  and  at  the  same  time  gives  out  a  miracle,  and 
the  miracle  is,  that  the  blind  man  has  broke  his  leg,  and  that 
it  is  a  just  punishment  for  daring  to  go  up  either  unprepared, 
or  with  little  faith; so  no  blind  man  has  recovered  sight  by  the 
virtue  of  the  corporales. 

By  means  of  this  same  direction,  no  sick  person  dareth  to 
go  up;  but  if  they  recover,  it  must  be  a  miracle  of  the  holy 
mystery.  And  if  a  mule  happen  to  be  sick,  the  master  of  it 
goes  and  makes  the  beast  give  three  turns  around  the  steeple, 
thinking  that  its  brother  mule  hath  power  to  cure  it.  Many 
will  be  apt  to  suspect  the  truth  of  this  story;  nay,  some  will 
think  it  a  mere  forgery;  but  I  appeal  to  several  officers  of  ti]e 
army  that  went  through  Daroca,  to  be  witnesses  for  me.  It 
may  be  they  were  no.t  told  all  the  circumstances  of  i;, because 


148  bl-lSI  er-key  to  popery. 

the  people  there  having  strange  notions  of  an  heretic ;  but  the 
mule  and  corporales  being  the  most  remarkable  thing  in  the 
city,  1  am  sure  many  did  hear  of  it,  though  nobody  of  the  her- 
etiv;s  could  see  the  holy  mystery,  being  a  thing  forbidden  I  y 
their  church. 

With  this,  and  the  like  pretended  miracles,  priests  and  fri- 
ars, confessors  and  preachers,  make  the  people  beliete  the 
real  presence  of  Christ's  body  in  the  host,  and  the  ineffable  vir- 
tue of  this  sacrament  to  cure  all  bodily  distempers:  nay,  \vhu,t 
is  more  than  all  these,  they  persuade,  and  make  the  people 
believe,  that  if  a  man  or  a  woman  has  the  consecrated  wafer 
by  ihem,  they  cannot  die  suddenly;  nay,  nor  be  killed  by 
violent  hands.  So  great  is  the  pov/er  of  the  host  (they  say,) 
that  if  you  show  it  to  the  enraged  sea,  the  storm  immediately 
ceaseth;  if  you  carry  it  with  you,  you  cannot  die,  especially 
a  sudden  death.  And  really,  they  may  venture  to  give  out 
this  doctrine  as  an  infallibie  point,  for  they  are  sure  no  body 
will  dare  to  touch  the  host,  and  much  less  to  carry  it  with  them, 
it  being  so  high  a  crime,  that  if  any  body  was  found  out 
with  the  consecrated  wafer  on  his  body,  the  sentence  is 
already  passed  by  the  inquisitors,  that  such  a  person  is  to  be 
burnt  alive. 

A  parish  priest  carrying  the  consecrated  host  to  a  sick  per- 
son out  of  the  town,  was  killed  by  a  flash  of  lightning,  which 
accident  being  clearly  against  this  pretended  infallible  power 
of  the  host,  the  people  took  the  liberty  to  talk  about  it;  but  the 
clergy  ordered  a  funeral  sermon,  to  which  the  nobility  and 
common  people  were  invited  by  the  common  cryer.  Every 
body  expected  a  funeral  sermon :  but  the  preacher,  taking  for 
his  text  Judicium  sibi  mowt^wcai,  proved,  that  the  priest  killed 
by  a  flash  of  lightning,  was  certainly  damned,  and  that  his 
sudden  death,  while  he  had  the  consecrated  host  in  his  hands, 
was  the  reward  of  his  wickedness;  and  that  his  death  v/as  tG 
be  looked  upon  as  a  miracle  of  the  holy  host,  rather  than  an 
instance  against  the  infinite  power  of  it;  for,  said  he,  we  have 
carefully  searched  and  examined  every  thing,  and  have  found 
ihat  he  was  not  a  priest,  and  therefore  had  no  authority  to 
louch  the  host,  nor  administer  the  Sacrament  of  the  eucharist. 
\xid  with  this  the  murmur  of  the  people  ceased,  and  every  body 
ifterwards  thought,  that  the  sudden  death  of  the  priest  was 
4.  manifest  miracle  wrought  by  the  host,  and  a  visible  punish- 
,nent  from  heaven  for  his  sacrilegious  crimes. 

The  truth  is,  that  the  priest  was  ordained  by  the  bishop  ol 
Tarasona,  in   Aragon.     The  thing  happened   in  the  city  ol 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY  149 

Calatayed,  in  the  same  kingdom;  his  name  was  Mossen  Pe- 
dro Aquilar;  he  was  buried  m  the  church  called  the  ScpuliJirc 
of  our  Lord.  The  reverend  father  Fonibuena  was  the  preach- 
er, and  I  was  one  of  the  hearers,  and  one  that  believed  the 
thing  as  the  preacher  told  us,  till  after  a  while,  some  members 
of  the  academy  having  examined  the  case,  and  found  that  he 
was  r-eally  a  priest,  proposed  it  to  the  assembly,  that  every 
Vv>(iy  might  give  his  opinion  about  it.  The  president  said  that 
such  a  case  was  not  to  be  brought  into  question,  but  the  doc- 
trine of  the  church  touching  eucharistia  to  be  believed  with- 
out any  scruples. 

Again,  That  the  host  has  no  virtue  nor  power  to  calm  the 
raging  sea,  I  know  myself  by  experience;  and  as  the  rela- 
tion of  the  thing  may  prove  effectual  to  convince  other  Roman 
Catholics  of  their  erroneous  belief,  as  well  as  the  passage  it- 
self did  me  t  seems  fit  in  this  place  to  give  an  account  of  it, 
and  I  pray  God  Almighty,  that  it  may  please  him  to  give  all 
the  Roman  Catholics  the  same  conviction,  some  way  or  other, 
his  infinite  goodness  was  pleased  to  give  me,  that  they  may 
take  as  firm  a  resolution  as  I  have  taken,  to  espouse  the  safest 
way  to  salvation :  for  if  we  take  our  measures  concerning  the 
truths  of  religion  from  the  rules  of  holy  scriptures,  and  the 
platform  of  the  primitive  churches;  nay,  if  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  it  is  delivered  in  the  New  Testament,  be  the  true 
religion,  (as  I  am  certain  it  is)  and  the  best  and  safest  way  to 
salvation;  then  certainly  the  protestant  religion  is  the  purest, 
that  is,  at  this  day,  in  the  world ;  the  most  orthodox  in  faith, 
and  the  freest  on  the  one  hand  from  idolatry  and  superstition, 
and  on  the  other,  from  whimsical  novelties  and  enthusiasms, 
of  any  now  extant;  and  not  only  a  safe  way  to  salvation, 
but  the  safest  of  any  I  know  of  in  the  world.  Now  I  come 
to  my  story. 

After  I  lefl;  my  country ,  making  use  of  several  stratagems 
and  disguises,  I  went  to  France,  dressed  in  officer's  clothes, 
and  so  I  was  known  by  some  at  Paris,  under  the  name  of  the 
Spanish  officer.  My  design  was  to  come  to  England,  but  the 
treaty  of  Utretcht  not  being  concluded,  I  could  not  attempt  to 
come  from  Calais  to  Dover  without  a  pass.  I  was  pe.'.ectly  a 
stranger  in  Paris,  and  w^ithout  any  acquaintance,  only  one 
French  priest,  who  had  studied  in  Spain,  and  could  speak 
Spanish  perfectly  well,  \>hich  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me, 
for  at  that  time  I  could  not  speak  French.  The  priest  (to  whom 
I  made  some  presents,)  was  interpreter  of  the  Spanish  letters 
to  the  king's  confessor,  father  le  Telier,  to  whom  he  introduo 

n2 


150  JIASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

ed  me;  I  spoke  to  him  in  Latin,  and  told  him  I  had  got  a  greai 
fortune  by  the  death  of  an  uncle  in  London,  and  that  I  should 
be  very  much  obliged  to  his  reverence,  if  by  his  influence  I 
could  o)^tain  a  pass.  The  priest  had  told  him  that  I  was  a  Cap- 
tain, w^iich  the  father  believed;  and  my  brother  having  been 
a  captain,  (though  at  that  time  he  was  dead,)  it  was  an  easy 
thing  to  pass  for  him.  The  first  visit  was  favorable  to  me,  for 
the  father  confessor  promised  to  get  me  a  pass,  and  bid  me  call 
for  it  two  or  three  days  after,  which  1  did;  but  I  found  the  rev 
erend  very  inquisitive,  asking  me  several  questions  in  divin- 
ity: I  answered  to  all,  that  I  had  studied  only  a  little  Latin. — 
He  then  told  me  there  v/as  no  possibility  of  obtaining  a  pass 
for  England,  and  that  if  I  had  committed  any  irregular  thing 
in  the  army,  he  would  give  me  a  letter  for  the  king  of  Spain 
to  obtain  my  pardon,  and  make  my  peace  with  him  again.  1 
confess  this  speech  made  me  very  uneasy,  and  I  began  to  sus- 
pect some  danger;  so  I  thanked  him  for  his  kind  offer  to  me, 
and  told  him  I  had  committed  nothing  against  my  king  or 
country,  which  I  would  convince  him  of,  by  refusing  his  favor, 
and  by  returning  back  into  Spain  that  very  week.  So  I  took 
my  leave  of  him,  and  the  day  following  I  left  Paris,  and  went 
back  to  St.  Sebastian,  where  I  kept  my  lodgings  till  I  got  the 
opportunity  of  a  ship  for  Lisbon.  The  merchants  of  Saragos- 
sa  trade  to  St.  Sebastian,  where  I  was  afraid  of  being  known, 
and  discovered  by  some  of  them,  and  for  this  reason  I  kept 
close  in  my  room,  giving  out  that  I  was  not  well.  How  to  get 
a  ship  was  the  only  difficulty;  but  I  was  freed  from  this  by 
sending  for  the  father  rector  of  the  Jesuits,  on  pretence  that  I 
was  very  ill,  and  was  willing  to  confess  my  sins.  Accordingly 
he  came  to  me  that  very  day,  and  I  began  my  confession,  in 
which  I  only  told  him,  that  as  I  was  an  officer  in  the  army,  and 
had  killed  another  officer,  for  which  the  king  had  ordered  me 
to  be  taken  up,  so  that  my  life  being  in  danger,  and  my  con- 
science in  trouble  on  account  of  the  murder,  I  put  both  life 
and  soul  into  his  hands.  He  asked  me  all  the  usual  questions, 
but  I  confessing  no  other  sin,  the  father  thought  I  was  a  good 
christian,  and  something  great  in  the  world;  so  he  bade  me  be 
easy  and  mind  nothing  but  keep  myself  in  readiness  for  my 
voyage,  and  that  he  would  send  a  captain  of  a  ship  to  me 
that  very  night,  who  should  take  me  along  with  him  into  the 
ship,  and  sail  out  the  next  morning.  And  so  all  was  perform- 
ed accordingly,  and  I  went  that  night  to  embark.  What  di- 
rections the  father  rector  gave  the  captain  I  know  not;  this  I 
know,  that  I  was   treated  as  if  1  w^ere  the  son  of  a  grandee, 


MASTER-KEY  TO  TOPERY.  151 

and  served  by  the  captain  himself.  This  was  the  first  time  of 
my  Hfe  being  at  sea,  and  I  was  very  sick  the  two  first  days; 
the  third  day  a  great  storm  began,  which  put  me  in  fear  of 
losing  my  hie.  But  then  calhng  to  my  memory  that  the  di- 
vino  power  was  said  to  be  in  a  consecrated  host,  to  cahn  the 
raging  sea,  and  knowing  that  a  priest  had  power  to  consecrate 
at  any  time,  and  every  where,  upon  urgent  necessity,  I  went 
into  the  captain's  cabin,  and  took  one  of  the  wliite  wafers  he 
made  use  of  tor  seahng  letters,  and  being  alone,  I  made  this 
promise  before  God  Almighty,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
that  if  he  would  graciously  condescend  to  remove  my  scruples 
at  once,  by  manifesting  the  real  presence  of  his  body  in  the 
host,  and  its  infinite  power,  by  calming  the  raging  tempest  at 
the  sight  of  the  one  I  was  now  going  to  consecrate,  then  I 
would  return  back  again  into  m]/  church  and  country,  and  live 
and  die  in  the  Romish  communion ;  but  if  the  effect  did  not 
answer  to  the  doctrine  preached  of  the  host,  then  I  would  live 
and  die  in  the  church  that  knoweth  no  such  errors,  nor  obey- 
eth  the  pope.  After  this  promise,  I  said  my  prayers  of  pre- 
paration to  consecrate;  and  after  I  had  consecrated  one  wafer 
(which  I  was  sure  in  my  conscience  was  duly  consecrated, 
for  the  want  of  ornaments  and  a  decent  place,  is  no  hindrance 
to  the  validity  of  the  priest's  consecration,)  I  went  up,  and  hi- 
ding the  wafer  from  the  captain  and  the  crew  of  the  ship,  I 
shewed  it  to  the  sea,  and  trembling  all  over,  stood  in  that  con- 
dition for  half  an  hour.  But  the  storm  at  that  time  increased 
so  violently,  that  we  lost  the  mast  of  the  ship,  and  the  captain 
desired  me  to  go  down.  I  was  willing  to  wait  a  little  longer 
for  the  efficacy  of  the  host,  but  finding  none  at  all,  I  went 
down,  and  kneeling,  I  began  to  pray  to  God,  and  thinking  I 
was  obliged  to  eat  the  consecrated  host  for  reverence  sake,  I 
did  eat  it,  but  without  any  fiiith  of  the  efficacy  and  power  of 
it.  Then  I  vowed  before  God,  never  to  believe  any  doctrine 
of  the  Romish  church,  but  those  that  were  taught  by  Jesus 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  to  live  and  die  in  that  only.  After 
this  vow,  though  the  storm  did  continue  foi  a  day  and  a  night, 
my  heart  was  calmed,  all  my  fears  vanished,  and  though  with 
manifest  danger  of  our  lives,  we  got  into  Vigo's  harbor,  and 
safe  from  the  storm. 

I  left  the  ship  there,  and  by  land  I  v/ent  to  Portugal,  having 
an  inward  joy  and  eai-iness  in  my  heart;  but  having  stopped 
at  Porto-Porto,  to  take  a  little  rest,  I  fell  sick  of  an  intermitting 
fever,  which  brought  me  tothe  very  point  of  death  three  times, 
in  throe  months  and  nine  days.     The  minister  of  the  parish  be- 


153-  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

ing  told  by  my  landlord,  the  condition  I  was  in,  past  hopes  of 
recovery,  came  to  visit  me,  and  desired  me  to  confess  and  re- 
ceive as  a  good  christian  ought  to  do;  but  I  thanking  him  for 
iis  good  advice,  told  hitn,  that  I  was  not  so  sick  as  he  believ- 
3d,  and  that  I  would  send  for  him  if  I  had  any  occasion,  and 
really,  I  never  believed  that  I  v.as  to  die  of  that  distemper, 
and  by  this  thought,  I  was  freed  from  priests  and  confessors. 

Whp?i  I  was  out  of  danger,  and  well  recovered,  I  went  to 
Lisbon,  where  I  had  the  opportunity  of  talking  with  some  Eng- 
lish merchants,  who  explained  to  me  some  points  of  the  protes- 
tant  religion,  and  my  heart  was  in  such  a  disposition,  that  their 
words  affected  me  more  than  all  the  sermons  and  moral  sums 
of  the  Romish  church  had  ever  done  before. 

I  knew  a  captain  in  the  Spanish  army,  Don  Alonzo  Corse- 
ga  by  name,  who  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Lerida,  in  whose 
bosom  was  found  (in  a  little  purse,)  the  consecrated  wafer,  for 
which  his  body  was  burnt  to  ashes.  It  is  very  likely  that  the 
poor  man  thinking  to  escape  from  death  by  that  means,  he 
took  it  out  of  his  mouth  when  he  went  to  receive,  and  kept  it 
as  an  amulet  against  the  martial  instruments,  which  paid  no 
respect  to  its  fancied  divinity. 

No^  by  these  instances  I  have  given  you  already,  it  appears 
that  the  practices  of  the  Romish  priests,  in  the  administration 
of  the  Eucharist,  either  to  healthy  or  sick  people,  are  only  ob- 
served for  interest's  sake,  as  the  worship  and  adoration  given 
to  the  consecrated  wafer,  tends  only  to  the  increase  of  their 
treasure.  And  lastly,  the  doctrine  of  transubstandation  and 
real  presence  of  Christ,  which  they  endeavor  to  make  the 
people  believe  by  supposed  miracles,  is  only  to  cheat  and  blind 
the  poor  laity,  and  raise  in  them  a  great  reverence  and  admi- 
ration of  their  persons  and  office. 

O  Lord  God,  who  receivest  into  thy  favor  those  that  fear 
thee,  and  do  work  righteousness,  suffer  not  so  many  thousands 
of  innocent  people  to  be  led  in  the  way  of  error,  but  enlighten 
them  with  thy  spirit,  put  the  light  of  the  Gospel  upon  the  can- 
dlestick, that  all  those  who  are  in  darkness  may  by  that  means 
come  to  the  safe  way  of  salvation,  and  live  and  die  in  the 
profession  of  thy  truth,  and  the  purity  of  that  perfect  religion 
taught  by  thine  only  son,  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen. 


1LA.STER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  153 


ARTICLE  IV. 


Of  Purgatory. 

I  cannot  give  a  real  account  of  Purgatory,  but  I  will  tell  ali 
I  know  of  the  practices  and  doctrines  of  the  Romish  piiests  and 
friars,  in  relation  to  that  imaginary  place,  which  indeed 
must  be  of  vast  extent  and  almost  infinite  capacity,  if,  as 
the  priests  give  out,  there  are  as  many  apartments  in  it  as 
conditions  and  ranks  of  people  in  the  world  among  Roman- 
Catholics. 

The  intenseness  of  the  fire  in  Purgatory  is  calculated  by 
them,  which  they  say  is  eight  degrees,  and  that  of  hell  only 
four  degrees.  But  there  is  a  great  difference  between  these 
two  fires,  in  this,  viz.  that  of  purgatory  (though  more  intense, 
active,  consuming  and  devouring)  is  but  for  a  time,  of  which 
the  souls  may  be  freed  by  the  suffrages  of  masses;  but  that  of 
hell  is  forever.  In  both  places,  they  say,  the  souls  are  tor- 
mented, and  deprived  of  the  glorious  sight  of  God,  but  the 
souls  in  purgatory  (though  they  endure  a  great  deal  more  than 
those  in  hell)  have  certain  hopes  of  seeing  God  sometime  or 
other,  and  that  hope  is  enough  to  make  them  to  be  called  the 
Messed  soi/ls. 

Pope  Adrian  the  Third,  confessed,  that  there  was  no  men- 
tion of  purgatory  in  scripture,  or  in  the  writings  of  the  holy 
fathers;  but  notwithstanding  this,  the  council  of  Trent  has  set- 
tled the  doctrine  of  purgatory  without  alleging  any  one  pas- 
sage of  the  holy  scripture,  ai  d  gave  so  much  liberty  to  priests 
and  friars  by  it,  that  they  build  in  that  fiery  palace,  apartments 
for  kings,  princes,  grandees,  noblemen,  merchants  and  trades- 
men, for  ladies  of  quality,  for  gentlemen  and  tradesmen's  wives, 
and  for  poor  common  people.  These  are  the  eight  apartments 
which  answer  to  the  eight  degre-es  of  intensus  ignis,  i.  e.  in- 
tense fire ;  and  they  make  the  people  believe,  that  the  poor 
people  only  endure  the  Igast  degree ;  the  second  being  greater, 
is  for  gentlewomen  and  tradesmen's  wives,  and  so  on  to  the 
eighth  degree,  which  being  the  greatest  of  all,  is  reserved  for 
kings.  By  this  wicked  doctrine  they  get  gradually  masses 
from  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  people,  in  proportion  to  their 
greatness.  But  as  the  poor  cannot  give  so  many  masses  as 
the  great,  the  lowest  chamber  of  purgatory  is  always  crowded 
with  the  reduced  souls  of  those  unfortunately  fortunate  people, 
for  they  say  to  them,  that  the  providence  of  God  has  ordered 
every  thing  to  the  ease  of  his  creatures,  and  that  for^^seeing 


154  MASTER-KEY  TO  TOrERY. 

that  the  poor  people  could  not  afFard  the  same  number  of  mas 
ses  that  the  rich  could,  his  infinite  goodness  had  placed  tnem 
in  a  place  of  less  sufferings  in  purgatory. 

But  it  is  a  remarkable  thing,  that  many  poor,  silly  trade^- 
men's  wives,  desirous  of  honor  in  the  next  world,  ask  the  fri- 
ars whether  the  souls  of  their  fathers,  mothers,  or  sisters,  can  be 
removed  from  the  second  apartment  (reckoning  from  the  low- 
est) to  the  third,  thinking  by  it,  tliat  though  the  third  degree  of 
fire  is  greater  than  the  second,  yet  the  soul  would  be  better 
pleased  in  the  company  of  ladies  of  quality;  but  the  worst  is, 
that  the  friar  makes  such  women  believe,  that  .he  may  do  it 
very  easily,  if  they  give  the  same  price  for  a  mass  the  ladies  of 
quality  give.  I  knev/  a  shoemaker's  wife,  very  ignorant,  proud, 
and  full  of  punctilios  of  honor,  who  went  to  a  Franciscan  fri- 
ar, and  told  him  that  she  desired  to  know  whether  her  own 
father's  soul  was  in  purgatory  or  not,  and  in  what  apartment. 
The  friar  asked  her  how  many  masses  she  could  spare  for  it; 
she  said  two;  and  the  friar  answered,  your  father's  soul  is 
among  the  beggars.  Upon  hearmg  this,  the  poor  woman  be- 
gan to  cry,  and  desired  the  friar  to  put  him,  if  possible,  in  the 
fourth  apartment,  and  she  would  pay  him  for  it;  and  the  quan- 
tum being  settled,  the  friar  promised  to  place  him  there  the 
next  day;  so  the  poor  woman  ever  since  gives  out  that  her 
father  was  a  rich  merchant,  for  it  was  revealed  to  her,  that  his 
soul  is  among  the  merchants  in  purgatory. 

Now  what  can  we  say,  but  that  the  pope  is  the  chief  Gov- 
ernor of  that  vast  place,  and  priests  and  friars  the  quarter-mas- 
ters that  billet  the  souls  according  to  their  own  fancies,  and 
have  the  power,  and  give  for  money  the  king's  apartments  to 
the  soul  of  a  shoemaker,  and  that  of  a  lady  of  quality  to  her 
washer-woman. 

But  mind  reader,  how  chaste  the  friars  are  in  procuring  a 
separate  place  for  ladies  in  purgatory ;  they  suit  this  doctrine 
to  the  temper  of  a  people  whom  they  believe  to  be  extremely 
jealous,  and  really  not  without  ground  of  them,  and  so  no  soul 
of  a  woman  can  be  placed  among  men.  Many  serious  people 
are  well  pleased  with  this  christian  caution;  but  those  that  are 
given  to  pleasure  do  not  l.'ke  it  at  all;  and  I  knew  a  pleasant 
young  collegian,  who  went  to  a  friar  and  told  him:  father,  1 
own  I  love  the  fair  sex;  and  I  believe  my  soul  will  always  re- 
tain that  inclination.  I  am  told  that  no  man's  soul  can  be  iti 
company  with  ladies,  and  it  is  a  dismal  thing  for  me  to  think, 
that  1  must  go  there,  (but  as  for  hell,  I  am  in  nc  danger  of  it, 
ihanks  to  the  pope,)  where  I  shall  never  see  any  Bnore  women, 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  15S 

which  will  prove  the  greatest  of  torments  to  my  soul :  so  I  have 
resolved  to  agree  with  your  reverence  beforehand,  upon  this 
point.  I  have  a  bill  of  ten  pistoles  upon  Peter  la  Vinna  Ban 
quer,  and  if  you  can  assure  me,  either  to  send  me  straight  to 
heaven  when  I  die,  or  to  the  ladies  apartment  in  purgatory, 
you  shall  have  the  bill ;  and  if  you  cannot,  I  must  submit  to  the 
will  of  God,  like  a  good  christian.  The  friar  seeing  the  bill, 
which  he  thought  ready  money,  told  him  that  he  could  do  either 
of  the  two,  and  that  he  himself  might  choose  which  of  the  two 
places  ne  pleased.  But  father  (said  the  collegian,)  the  case  is, 
that  1  love  Donna  Teresa  Spinola,  but  she  does  not  love  me, 
•^nd  I  do  not  believe  that  I  can  expect  any  favor  from  her  m 
*,his  world,  so  I  would  know  whether  she  is  to  go  before  me 
to  purgatory  or  not.  O!  that  is  very  certain  (said  the  fri- 
ar.) I  choose  then  (said  the  collegian,)  the  ladies  apart- 
ment, and  here  is  the  bill,  if  you  give  me  a  certificate  under 
your  hand,  that  the  thing  shall  be  so;  but  the  friar  refusing  to 
give  him  any  authentic  certificate,  the  collegian  laughed  at 
him,  and  made  satirical  verses  upon  him,  which  were  printed, 
and  which  I  read.  I  knew  the  friar  too,  who  being  mocked 
publicly,  was  obliged  to  remove  from  his  convent  to  another 
in  the  country. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  railleries,  of  which  the  inquisitors 
cannot  take  notice,  being  not  against  the  catholic  faiih;  priests 
and  fi'iars  do  daily  endeavor  to  prove,  that  purgatory  is  a  real 
existent  place,  and  that  by  masses,  the  souls  detained  in  it 
are  daily  delivered  out  of  it.  And  this  they  prove  by  many 
revelations  made  to  devout,  pious  people;  and  by  many 
apparitions. 

They  not  only  preach  them  publicly,  but  books  are  printed 
of  such  revelations  and  apparitions.  I  remember  many  of 
them,  but  I  shall  not  trouble  the  reader  with  them;  only  I 
will  tell  some  of  tbe  most  remarkable  ones  of  my  time. 

In  the  latter  end  of  King  Charles  the  Second's  reign,  a  nun 
of  Guadalarajara  wrote  a  letter  to  his  majesty,  acquainting  him, 
that  it  was  revealed  to  her  by  an  angel,  that  the  soul  of  his 
father,  Philip  the  IV.* was  still  in  purgatory,  (all  alone  m  the 
royal  apartments)  and  likewise  in  the  lowest  chamber,  the  said 
king  Philip's  sboemaker,  and  that  upon  saying  so  many  mass- 
es, both  should  be  delivered  out  of  it,  and  should  go  to  enjoy 
the  ravishing  pleasures  of  an  eternal  life.  The  nun  was  repu- 
ted a  saint  upon  earth,  and  the  simple  king  gave  orders  to  his 
confessor  to  say,  or  order  so  many  masses  to  be  said,  for  that 
purpose;  after  which,  the  said  nun  wrote  again  to  :.is  majesty, 


156  MASTEll-KEY  TO  POrERY. 

congi  atulating  and  wishing  him  joy,  for  the  arrival  of  his  fa 
ther  to  heaven ;  but  that  the  shoemaker,  who  was  seven  de- 
grees lower  than  Philip  in  purgatory,  was  then  seven  degrees 
higher  than  his  majesty  in  heaven,  because  of  his  better  life 
on  earth,  who  never  had  committed  any  sin  with  women,  af 
Philip  had  done  all  his  life  time,  but  that  all  was  forgiven  to 
him  on  account  of  the  masses. 

Again,  they  give  out  in  the  pulpit,  that  the  pope  has  an  ab- 
solute power  to  make  the  mass  ethcacious  to  deliver  the  soul, 
for  which  it  is  said,  out  of  that  place ;  and  that  his  holiness  can 
take  at  once  all  the  souls  out  of  it;  as  Pious  the  Vth  did,  (as 
they  report)  who,  when  he  was  cardinal,  was  mighty  devout, 
and  a  great  procurer  of  the  relief  of  souls,  and  who  had  prom- 
ised them  with  a  solemn  oath,  that  if,  by  tlieir  prayers  in  pur- 
gatory, he  should  be  chosen  Pope,  then  he  would  empty  ])urga- 
toryofallthe  souls  at  once.  At  last,  by  the  intercession  of 
the  souls  with  God  Almighty,  he_^  was  elected  pope,  and  imme- 
diately he  delivered  all  the  souls  out  of  that  place;  but  that 
Jesus  Christ  was  so  angry  with  the  new  pope,  that  he  appeared 
to  him,  and  bade  him  not  to  do  any  such  thing  again,  for  it  was 
prejudicial  to  the  whole  clergy  and  friarship.  That  pope  de- 
livered all  the  souls  out  of  purgatory,  by  opening  the  treasure 
of  the  church,  in  which  were  kept  millions  of  masses,  which 
the  popes  make  use  of  for  the  augmenting  the  riches  of  the 
holy  see.  Bat  he  took  care  not  to  do  it  again ;  for  though  qu.od- 
cunque  solveritis  in  Terra,  erit  solutum  ct  in  CcbHs,  there  is 
not  specified  the  same  power  in  purgatory,  therefore,  evei 
since,  the  popes  take  no  authority,  nor  liberty  to  sweep  purga  - 
tory  at  once,  for  it  would  prove  their  ruin,  and  reduce  the 
clergy  to  poverty. 

When  some  ignorant  people  pay  for  a  mass,  and  are  willing 
to  know  whether  the  soul  for  which  the  mass  is  said,  is,  after 
the  mass,  delivered  out  of  purgatory;  the  friar  makes  them  be- 
lieve, that  the  soul  will  appear  in  the  figure  of  a  mouse  within 
the  tabernacle  of  the  altar,  if  it  is  not  out  of  it,  and  then  it  is  a 
sign  that  the  soul  wants  more  masses ;  and  if  the  mouse  does 
not  appear,  the  soul  is  in  heaven.  So  when  the  mass  is  over, 
he  goes  to  the  tabernacle  backwards,  where  is  a  little  door  with 
a  crystal,  and  lets  the  people  look  through  it:  But  O  pitiful 
thing!  They  see  a  mouse  which  the  friars  keep,  (perhaps  for 
this  purpose)  and  so  the  poor  sots  give  more  money  for  moro 
masses,  till  they  see  the  mouse  no  more.  They  have  a  reve- 
lation ready  at  hand,  to  say,  that  such  a  devout  person  was 
♦old  by  an  angel,  that  the  soul  for  which  the  mas-s  is  said,  was 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  157 

to  appear  in  the  figure  of  a  mouse  in  the  sac  rario  or  taber- 
nacle. 

Many  other  priests  and  friars  do  positively  affirm,  ind  we 
see  many  instances  of  it  fo-ged  by  them  in  printed  br/)ks,  that 
when  they  consecrate  the  liost,the  little  boy  Jesus  doth  appear 
to  them  in  the  host,  and  that  is  a  sign  that  the  soul  is  out  of 
ourgatory.  There  is  a  fine  picture  of  St.  Anthony  de  Paula, 
ivith  the  host  in  his  hand,  and  the  little  Je&us  is  in  the  host, 
because  that  divine  boy  frequently  appeared  to  him  when  he 
Raid  mass,  as  the  history  of  his  life  gives  an  account.  But  at 
the  same  time,  they  say,  that  no  layman  can  see  the  boy  Je- 
sus, because  it  is  not  permitted  to  any  man  but  to  priests  to 
see  so  heavenly  a  sight:  and  by  that  means  they  give  out  what 
sort  of  stories  they  please,  without  any  fear  of  ever  being 
found  out  in  a  lie. 

As  to  the  second  day  of  November,  which  is  the  day  of  the 
souls  of  purgatory,  in  M'hich  every  priest  and  friar  sayeth  three 
masses  for  the  delivery  of  so  many  souls  out  of  the  pains  of  it, 
they  generally  say,  that  from  three  of  the  clock,  of  the  first 
day  of  November  (all-saints'  day)  till  three  in  the  afternoon, 
the  next  day,  all  the  souls  are  out  of  purgatory,  and  entirely 
free  from  the  pains  of  it ;  (those  four  and  twenty  hours  being- 
granted  by  his  holiness  for  a  refreshment  to  them)  and  that  all 
that  while  they  are  in  the  air  diverting  themselv  es,  and  ex- 
pecting the  relief  of  so  many  masses,  to  get  by  them  the  desi- 
red end,  viz.  The  celestial  habitations.  On  these  twenty- 
four  hours,  they  ring  the  bells  of  all  the  churches  and  con- 
vents, which  (as  they  say)  is  a  great  suffi-age  and  help  to  the 
souls,  and  on  that  day  only,  priests  and  friars  get  more  nioney 
than  they  get  in  two  months  time  beside;  for  every  family,  and 
private  persons  too,  give  yellow  wax  candles  to  the  church, 
and  money  for  masses  and  responsa,  i.  e.  a  prayer  for  the 
dead,  and  all  these  twenty-four  hours  the  churches  are  crowd- 
ed with  people,  and  the  priests  and  friars  continually  singing 
prayers  for  the  dead,  and  this  they  call  the  priests  and  friarg 
fair  day;  which  they  solemnize  with  the  continual  ringing  of 
bells,  though  they  give  out,  that  it  is  a  suffrage  for  the  souls 
of  purgatory. 

And  on  the  same  pretence,  there  is  a  man  in  every  parish 
that  goes  in  the  dark  of  the  evening  through  all  the  streets 
with  a  bell,  praying  for  the  souls,  and  asking  charity  fr/r  them 
in  every  house,  always  ringing  the  bell  as  a  suffrage.  The 
duke  of  Ossuna  made  a  witty  repartee  to  pope  Innocent  the 
Xlth,  on  this  subject.     The  duke  was  ambassador  for  the  king 

:> 


158  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

of  Spain  at  Rome,  and  he  had  a  large  bell  on  the  top  of  his 
ho\7se,  to  gather  his  domestics  when  he  was  going  out.  Many 
cardinals  lived  by  his  palace,  and  complained  to  the  pope,  t/ia, 
the  ambassador's  bell  disturbed  tltem;  (for  the  duke  used  to  or- 
der to  ring  the  bell  when  he  knew  the  cardinals  were  at  home) 
and  the  pope  spoke  immediately  to  the  duke,  and  asked  his 
Excellency  the  reason  of  keeping  so  big  a  bell?  To  which 
the  duke  answered,  that  he  was  a  very  good  christian,  and  a 
good  friend  to  the  souls  of  purgatory,  to  whom  the  ringing  of 
the  bell  was  a  suffrage.  The  pope  took  in  good  part  this  rail- 
lery, and  desired  him  to  make  use  of  some  other  signal  to  call 
his  servants;  for  that  of  the  bell  was  very  noisy,  and  a  great 
disturbance  to  the  cardinals,  his  neighbors;  and  that  if  he  was 
so  good  a  friend  to  the  souls  of  purgatory,  he  would  do  them 
more  service  by  selling  the  bell,  and  giving  the  money  for 
masses. 

To  tell  the  truth  the  duke  did  not  care  for  the  souls,  but  all 
his  design  was  to  vex  the  cardinals:  So  the  next  day  he  or- 
dered to  bring  down  the  bell,  and  to  put  in  the  same  place  a 
cannon,  or  a  great  piece  of  ordnance,  and  to  give  twelve  shots 
every  morning  and  twelve  at  midnight,  which  was  the  tinte 
the  cardinals  were  at  home.  So  they  made  a  second  complaint 
to  the  pope ;  upon  this,  he  spoke  to  the  duke  again,  and  he 
answered  to  his  holiness,  that  the  bell  was  to  be  sold,  and  the 
money  to  be  delivered  to  the  priests  for  masses;  but  that  he 
had  ordered  the  cannon  as  a  suffrage  for  the  souls  of  the  poor 
soldiers  that  had  died  in  the  defence  of  the  holy  see.  Tlie 
pope  was  very  much  affronted  by  this  answer,  and  as  he  was 
caressing  a  little  lap-dog  he  had  in  his  arms,  got  up,  and  said, 
— Duke,  I  take  more  care  of  the  souls  of  the  poor  soldiers 
than  you  of  your  own  soul;  at  which,  the  duke  taking  out  of 
the  pope's  arms  the  lap-dog,  and  throwing  him  through  the 
window,  saiil.  And,  I  take  care  to  shew  the  pope  how  he  ought 
to  speak  with  the  king  of  Spain,  to  whom  more  respect  is  due. 
Then  the  pope,  knowing  the  resoluteness  of  the  duke,  and  that 
his  holiness  could  get  nothing  by  an  angry  method,  chose  to 
let  the  thing  drop  there,  rather  than  to  make  more  noise ;  so 
the  duke  kept  his  cannon  piece,  and  the  cardinals  were  obliged 
^^  remove  their  tamiiies  into  a  more  quiet  place. 

A  mendicant  friar  one  day  asked  some  rharity  from  the 
same  duke,  for  the  souls  of  purgatory,  and  said,  INly  lord,  if 
you  put  a  pistole  in  this  plate,  you  shall  take  out  of  purgatory 
that  soul  for  which  you  design  it.  The  duke  gave  the  pistole, 
and  asked  whether  the  soul  of  his  'brother  was  already  out  ot 


MASTER-KEY   TC    TOrERY.  159 

it?  Aid  when  the  friar  said,  Yea;  the  duke  took  again  l" is 
pistole^  and  told  the  friar,  Now  you  cannot  put  his  soul  into 
purgatory  again.  And  it  is  to  be  wished  that  every  one  was 
like  that  duke,  and  had  the  same  resolution  to  speak  the  truth 
to  the  pope  himself  and  all  his  quarter-masters. 

I  have  told  in  the  first  article  of  this  chapter,  that  every 
Friday  is  appointed  to  say  masses  for  the  souls  in  purgatory, 
which  did  belong  to  corporations  of  fraternities,  and  what  great 
profit  priests,  and  especially  friars,  get  by  it.  Now  by  this 
infallible  custom  and  practice,  we  may  say,  that  purgatory 
contains  as  many  corporations  of  souls,  as  there  are  corpora- 
tions of  tradesmen  here  below,  which  fraternities  are  more 
profitable  to  all  sorts  of  communities  of  friars,  than  the  living 
members  of  them  upon  earth.  But  some  of  these  people, 
either  out  of  pleasantry,  or  out  of  curiosity,  ask  sometimes  in 
what  part  of  the  world,  or  of  the  air,  is  that  place  of  purgatory  ? 
To  which  the  friars  answer,  that  it  is  between  the  centre  of 
the  earth  and  lins  c-arthly  superfices;  which  they  pretend  to 
prove,  and  make  them  believe  by  revelations,  and  especially 
by  a  story  from  a  Jesuit  father,  who  in  his  travels  saw  the 
earth  open  by  an  earthquake,  and  in  the  deep  a  great  many 
people  of  a  flaming  red  color,  from  which  nonsensical  account 
they  conclude,  to  blind  the  poor  people,  that  those  were  the 
souls  of  purgatory,  red  as  the  very  flame  of  fire.  But  observe, 
that  no  priest  or  friar  would  dare  to  tell  such  frivolous  stories 
to  people  of  good  sense,  but  to  the  ignorant,  of  which  there  are 
■great  numbers  in  those  parts  of  the  world. 

When  they  preach  a  sermon  of  the  souls,  they  make  use  of 
brimstone,  and  burn  it  in  the  pulpit,  saying,  that  such  flames 
are  like  those  of  the  fire  in  purgatory.  They  make  use  cf 
many  pictures  of  the  souls  that  are  in  the  middle  of  devouring 
fire,  lifting  up  their  hands  to  heaven,  as  if  they  were  crying 
for  help  and  assistance.  They  prove  their  propositions  with 
revelations  and  apparitionsf  for  they  cannot  find  in  the  scrip- 
ture any  passage  to  ground  their  audacious  thoughts  on,  and 
such  sermons  are  to  the  people  of  sense  better  diversion  than 
a  comedy;  for  besides  the  wretchedness  of  style  and  method, 
they  tell  so  many  sottish  stories,  that  they  have  enough  t^ 
laugh  at  afterwards  for  a  long  while. 

I  went  to  hear  an  old  friar,  who  had  the  name  of  an  excel- 
lent preacher,  upon  the  subject  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and 
he  took  his  text  out  of  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Apoc. 
27th  verse :  And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  any  thing 
that  dejileth,  neither  whatsoever    zvorkeih  abomination,    by 


'*G0  MASTER-KEVr  TO  POPERY. 

which  he  settled  the  belief  of  a  purgatory,  proving  by  some 
romantic  authority  that  such  a  passage  ought  to  be  under- 
stood of  purgatory,  and  his  chief  authority  ^vas,  because 
a  famous  interpreter,  or  expositor,  re  aiders  the  text  thus. 
There  shall  not  enter  into  it  (meaning  heaven)  any  thing 
which  is  not  proved  by  the  fire,  as  silver  is  purified  by  it. 
When  he  had  proved  this  text,  he  came  to  divide  it,  which  he 
did  in  these  three  heads :  First,  that  the  souls  suffer  in  purga- 
tory three  sorts  of  torments,  of  which  the  first  was  fire,  and 
that  greater  than  the  tire  of  hell.  Secondly,  to  be  deprived  of 
the  face  of  God:  And  Thirdly,  which  was  the  greatest  of  all 
torments,  to  see  their  relations  and  friends  here  on  earth  di- 
vertingf  themselves,  and  takinjT  so  little  care  to  relieve  them 
out  of  those  terrible  pains.  The  preacher  spoke  very  little  of 
the  two  first  })oints,  but  he  insisted  upon  the  third  a  long  hour, 
taxing  the  people  of  ingratitude  and  inhumanity;  and  that  if 
it  was  possible  for  any  of  the  living  to  experience,  only  for  a 
moment,  that  devouring  flame  of  purgator}-,  certainly  he  would 
come  again,  and  sell  whatever  he  had  in  the  world,  and  give 
it  for  masses:  And  what  pity  it  is  (said  he)  to  know  that  there 
are  the  souls  of  many  of  my  hearers'  relations  there,  and 
none  of  them  endeavor  to  relieve  them  out  of  that  place.  He 
went  on  and  said :  I  have  a  catalogue  of  the  souls,  which,  by 
revelation  and  apparition,  we  are  sure  are  in  purgatory;  for 
in  the  first  place,  the  soul  of  such  a  one  (naming  the  soul  of  a 
rich  merchant's  father)  appeared  the  other  night  to  a  godly 
person,  in  the  figure  of  a  pig,  and  tk's  devout  person,  knowing - 
that  the  door  of  his  chamber  was  locked  up,  began  to  sprinkle 
the  pig  with  holy  water,  and  conjuring  him,  bade  him  speak, 
and  tell  him  what  he  v.anted?  And  the  pig  said,  I  am  the 
soul  of  such  an  one,  and  I  have  been  in  purgatory  these  ten 
years  for  want  of  help.  When  Heft  the  world,  I  forgot  to  teir*" 
my  confessor  where  I  left  1000  pistoles,  which  I  had  reserved 
for  masses.  My  son  found  them  out,  and  he  is  such  an  unnatu- 
ral child,  that  he  doth  not  remember  my  pitifid  condition;  and 
now  by  the  permission  of  heaven,  I  come  to  you,  and  com- 
mand you  to  discover  this  case  to  tlie  first  preacher  you  meet, 
that  he  may  publish  it,  and  tell  my  son,  that  if  he  doth  not 
give  that  money  for  masses  for  my  relief,  I  shall  be  for  ever 
m  purgatory,  and  his  soul  shall  certainly  go  to  hell. 

The  credulous  merchant,  terrified  with  this  siory,  believing 
every  tittle  of  it,  got  up  before  all  the  people,  and  went  into 
the  vestry,  and  when  the  friar  had  finished,  he  begged  of  hina 
to  go  along  with  him  to  Ids  house,   where  he   should  receive 


MASTER-KEY  TO  rOPERY.  161 

the  money,  which  he  did  accordingly,  fur  fear  of  a  second 
thought;  and  the  merchant  gave  freely  the  1000  pistoles,  for 
fear  that  his  father's  soul  should  be  kept  in  [)urgatory,  and  he 
himself  go  to  hclL 

And  besides  these  cheats  and  tricks,  they  make  use  of  them- 
selves to  exact  money,  they  have  their  solicitors  and  agents 
that  go  from  one  house  to  another,  telling  stories  of  apparitions 
and  revelations,  and  these  are  they  which  we  call  heatas  and 
devotas;  for  as  their  modesty  in  paparel,  their  hypocritical 
air,  and  daily  exercises  of  confessing  and  receiving  is  well 
known  in  the  world,  the  common  people  have  so  good  an  opin- 
ion of  them,  that  they  believe,  as  an  article  of  faith,  whatever 
stories  they  tell,  without  further  inquiry  into  the  matter:  So 
those  cunning,  disguised  devils  (or  worse)  instructed  by  the 
friar  their  confessor,  go  and  spread  abroad  many  of  these  ap- 
paritions, by  which  they  get  a  great  deal  of  money  for  masses, 
which  they  give  to  the  father  confessor. 

Nay,  of  late,  the  old  nuns,  those  that,  to  their  grief,  the 
world  despises,  have  undertaken  the  trade  of  publishing  reve- 
lations and  apparitions  of  souls  in  purgatory,  and  give  out  that 
such  a  soul  is,  and  shall  be  in  it,  until  the  father,  mother,  or 
sister,  go  to  such  a  friar,  and  give  him  so  many  masses,  which 
he  is  to  say  himself,  and  no  other.  And  the  case  is,  that  by 
agreement  between  the  old  skeleton,  and  the  covetous  father, 
he  is  to  give  her  one  third  of  all  the  masses  that  he  receives  by 
her  means  and  application.-  So  you  see  the  nature  of  this 
pkce  of  purgatory,  the  apartments  in  it,  the  degrees  of  the 
fire  of  it,  the  means  the  priests  and  the  friars  make  use  of  to 
keep  in  repair  that  profitable  palace;  and  above  all,  the  stu- 
pidity, sottishness  and  blindness  of  the  people,  to  believe  such 
dreams  as  matters  of  fact.  What  now  can  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics say  for  themselves?  I  am  aware  that  they  will  say  that 
I  am  a  deceiver  and  impostor.  The  Jews  said  of  our  Saviour, 
(John  vii,,  v.  12.)  some,  that  he  was  a  good  man;  others  said, 
nay  but  he  deceiveth  the  people,  when  he  was  telling  the 
truth.  So  I  shall  not  be  surprised  at  any  calumny  or  injury 
dispersed  by  them;  for  I  am  sure  in  my  conscience,  before. 
God  and  the  world,  that  I  write  the  truth.  And  let  nobody 
min-d  the  method  in  this  account,  for  now  I  look  upon  the  prac- 
tices and  cheats  of  the  priests  and  friars  in  this  point  of  pur- 
gatory, as  the  most  ridiculous,  nonsensical,  and  roguish  of  all 
their  tricks;  so  how  can  a  man  that  has  been  anv^^g  them, 
and  is  now  in  the  right  way,  write  moderately,  w:ihout  ridi 
culing  th^m? 

o2 


162  MASTER-KEY    TO    rorERT. 

I  must  dismiss  this  article  with  my  address  to  the  papist 
f)riests  of  England  and  Ireland.  Some  of  them  (immediately 
after  mv  book  was  published  and  read  by  them)  did  command 
their  parishioners  in  their  respective  mass  houses  (as  I  was 
told  by  a  faithful  friend)  not  to  read  my  book,  svb  yena  excom- 
municationis.  Others  made  frivolous  remarks  on  sonse  of  my 
observations  and  matters  of  fact;  nay,  a  zealous  protestant 
having  lent  one  of  my  books  to  a  Roman  catholic  lady,  she 
gave  it  to  her  priest,  and  desired  his  opinion  about  it.  The 
priest  read  it  over,  and  corrected  only  five  passages  with  his 
hand  in  the  same  book,  of  which  I  shall  speak  in  my  second 
part.  Above  all,  this  article  of  purgatory  is  the  hardest  thing 
to  them;  but  they  ought  to  consider,  that  1  speak  only  of  my 
country  people,  and  if  they  complain  I  must  crave  leave  to  say 
that  by  that,  they  make  us  believe  that  the  Spanish  contagion 
has  reached  to  them,  and  want  of  the  same  remedy  with  the 
Spaniards,  namely,  a  narrow    searching  into  the  matter,  &c 


PART  IV. 


Of  the  Inquisitors  and  their  Practices. 

In  the  time  of  King  Ferdinand  the  fifth,  and  Queen  Isabel- 
la, the  mixture  of  Jews,  Moors,  and  Christians  was  so  great, 
the  relapses  of  the  new  converts  so  frequent,  and  the  c*jrrap- 
tions  in  matters  of  religion  so  bare-faced  in  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  people,  that  the  cardinal  of  Spain  thought  the  intro- 
ducing the  inquisition  could  be  the  only  way  of  stopping  the 
course  of  wickedness  and  vice ;  so  as  the  sole  remedy  to  cure 
the  irreligious  practices  of  those  times,  the  inquisition  was  es- 
tablished in  the  year  1471,  in  the  court,  and  many  other  do- 
minions of  Spain. 

The  cardinal's  design  in  giving  birth  to  this  tribunal,  was 
only  to  suppress  heresies,  and  chastise  many  horrible  crimes 
committed  against  religion,  viz;  Blasphemy,  sodomy,  polyga- 
my, sorcery,  sacrilege,  and  many  others,  which  are  also  pun- 
ished in  these  kingdoms  by  the  prerogative  court,  but  not  by 
making  use  of  so  barbarous  means  as  the  inquisition  doth. 
The  design  of  the  cardinal  was  not  blamable,  being  in  itself 
good,  and  approved  by  all  the  serious  and  devout  people  of 
that  time,  but  the  performance  of  it  was  not  so,  as  will  appear 
by  and  by. 

I  can  only  speak  of  the  inquisition  of  Saragossa,  for  as  I 
am  treating  of  matters  of  fact,  I  may  tell  with  confidence  what 
I  knew  of  it,  as  an  eye-witness  of  several  things  done  there. 
This  tribunal  is  composed  of  three  inquisitors,  who  are  abso- 
lute judges;  for,  from  their  judgment  there  is  no  appeal,  not 
even  to  the  pope  himself,  nor  to  a  general  council;  as  doth 
appear  from  what  happened  in  the  time  of  king  Philip  the 
second,  when  the  inquisitors  having  censured  the  cardinal  of 
Toleda,  the  pope  sent  for  the  process  and  sentence,  but  the 
inquisitors  did  not  obey  him,  and  though  the  council  of  Trent 
discharged  the  cardinal,  notwithstanding,  they  insisted  on  the 
Performance  and  execution  of  their  sentence. 

The  first  inquisitor  is  a  divine,  the  second,  a  casuist,  and 
the  third,  a  civilian;  the  first  and  second  are  always  priests 

..     163 


164  BIASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

and  promoted  from  prebends  to  the  high  dignity  of  being  hoJy 
inquisitors.  The  third  sometimes  is  not  a  priest,  though  he  is 
dressed  in  a  clerical  habit.  The  three  inquisitors  of  my  time 
were,  tirst,  Don  Pedro  Guerrero;  second,  Don  Francisco 
Torrejon;  third,  Don  Antonio  Aliaga.  This  tribunal  hath  a 
high  sheriff,  and  God  knows  how  many  constables  and  undei 
officers,  besides  the  officers  that  belong  to  the  house,  and  that 
live  in  it;  they  have  likewise  an  executioner;  or  we  may  say, 
there  are  as  many  executioners,  as  officers  and  judges,  dzi-c; 
besides  these,  there  are  many  qualificators  and  familiares,  of 
which  I  will  give  an  account  by  themselves. 

The  inquisitors  have  a  despotic  power  to  command  every 
livino"  soul ;  and  no  excuse  is  to  be  given,  nor  contradiction 
to  be  made,  to  their  orders ;  nay,  the  people  have  not  liberty 
to  speak  nor  complain  in  their  misfortunes,  and  therefore 
there  is  a  proverb  which  says,  Con  la  inquisition  chiton. 
Do  not  meddle  with  the  inquisition ;  or,  as  to  the  inquisition 
say  nothing.  This  will  be  better  understood  by  the  following 
account  of  the  method  they  make  use  of  lor  the  taking  up  and 
arresting  the  people:  which  is  thus: 

When  the  inquisitors  receive  an  information  against  any 
body,  which  is  always  in  private,  and  with  such  secrecy  that 
none  can  know  who  the  informer  is  (for  all  the  informations 
are  given  in  at  night)  they  send  their  officers  to  the  house  of 
the  accused,  most  commonly  at  midnight,  and  in  a  coach, — 
they  knock  at  the  door,  (and  then  all  the  family  are  in  bed) 
and  when  some  body  asks  from  the  windows  who  is  there; 
the  officers  say,  the  holy  inquidiion.  At  this  word,  he  that 
answered,  without  any  delay,  or  noise,  or  even  the  liberty  of 
giving  timely  notice  to  the  master  of  the  house,  comes  down 
to  open  the  door.  I  say,  without  the  liberty  of  giving  timely 
notice,  for  when  the  inquisitors  send  the  officers,  they  are 
sure,  by  the  spies,  tliat  the  person  is  within,  and  if  they  do 
not  find  the  accused,  they  take  up  the  whole  family,  and  carry 
them  to  the  inquisition:  so  the  answerer  is  with  good  reason 
afraid  of  making  any  delay  in  opening  the  street  door.  Then 
they  go  up  stairs  and  arrest  the  accused  without  telling  a 
word,  or  hearing  a  word  from  any  of  the  family,  and  with 
great  silence  putting  him  into  the  coach,  they  drive  to  the 
holy  prison.  If  the  neighbors  by  chance  hear  the  noise  of  tlie 
coach,  they  dare  not  go  to  the  window,  for  it  is  well  known 
that  no  other  coach  but  that  of  the  inquisition  is  abroad  at 
.hat  time  of  the  night;  nay,  they  are  so  much  afraid,  that  ihey 
dare  not  even  to  ask  the  next  morning  their  neighbors  any 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  165 

thing  about  it,  for  those  that  talk  of  any  thing  that  the  inqui- 
sition does,  are  liable  to  undergo  the  same  punishment,  and 
this,  may  be,  the  night  following.  So  if  the  accused  be  the 
daughter,  sou,  or  father,  &-c.,  and  some  friends  or  relations 
go  in  the  morning  to  see  the  family,  and  ask  the  occasion  of 
their  tears  and  grief,  they  answer  that  their  daughter  was 
stolen  away  the  night  before,  or  the  son,  or  father  or  mother, 
(whoever  the  prisoner  be)  did  not  come  home  the  night  be- 
fore, and  that  they  suspect  he  was  murdered,  (Sec.  This  an- 
swer the;y  give,  because  they  cannot  tell  the  truth  without  ex- 
posing themselves  to  the  same  misfortune ;  and  not  only  this, 
but  they  cannot  go  to  the  inquisition  to  inquire  for  the  pris- 
oner, ijr  they  would  be  confined  for  that  alone.  So  all  the 
comfor  the  family  can  have  in  such  a  case,  is  to  imagine 
that  the  prisoner  is  in  China,  or  in  the  remotest  part  of  the 
world,  or  in  hell,  where  in  nullus  ordo  sed  sempiternus  horror 
inhabitat.  This  is  the  reason  why  nobody  knows  the  per- 
sons that  are  in  the  inquisition  till  the  sentence  is  published 
and  executed,  except  those  priests  and  friars  summoned  to 
hear  the  trial. 

The  qualificators  and  familiares  which  are  in  the  city  and 
country,  ui)on  necessity,  have  full  power  to  secure  any  per- 
son suspected  with  the  same  secrecy,  and  commit  him  to  the 
nearest  commissary  of  the  holy  office  of  the  inquisition,  and 
he  is  to  take  care  to  send  them  safely  to  prison;  which  is  all 
done  by  night,  and  without  any  fear  that  the  people  should 
deliver  the  prisoner,  nay,  or  even  talk  of  it. 

Qualijicators, 
Are  those,  M^ho,  by  order  from  the  inquisitors,  examine  the 
crimes  committed  by  the  prisoners  against  the  catholic  faith, 
and  give  their  opinions  or  censures  about  it:  they  are  obliged 
to  secrecy  as  well  as  other  people;  but  as  the  number  of  them 
is  great,  the  inquisitors  must  commonly  make  use  of  ten  or 
twelve  of  the  most  learned  that  are  in  the  city,  in  difficult 
cases ;  but  this  is  only  a  formality,  for  their  opinions  and  cen- 
sures are  not  regarded,  the  inquisitors  themselves  being  the 
absolute  decisive  judges.  The  distinguishing  mark  of  a  qual- 
ificator  is  the  cross  of  the  holy  office,  which  is  a  medal  of  pure 
gold  as  big  as  a  thirteen,  with  a  cress  in  the  middle,  half 
white  and  half  black,  which  they  wear  before  their  breast; 
but  in  public  functions  or  processions,  the  priests  and  friar? 
wear  another  bigger  cross  of  embroidery  on  their  cloak  o; 
habits.     To  be  qualificator  is  a  great  honor  to  his  whole  fami 


166  MASTER-KEY  TO  POrERY. 

ly  and  relations,  for  this  is  a  public  testimony  of  the  old  chri»- 
tianily  and  pure  blood  (as  they  call  it)  of  the  family. 

No  nobleman  covets  the  honor  of  being  qualificator,  for  they 
are  all  ambitious  of  the  cross  of  St.  James,  of  Alcantara, 
of  Calatravia,  of  Malta,  and  the  golden  fleece,  which  are  the 
five  orders  of  the  nobility;  so  the  honor  of  a  qualificator  is  for 
those  people,  who,  though  their  families  being  not  \ve\\  known, 
are  desirous  to  boast  of  their  antiquity  and  christianism, 
though  to  obtain  such  honor,  they  pay  a  great  sum  of  money : 
for,  in  the  first  place,  he  that  desireth  to  be  a  qualificator,  is 
to  appear  before  the  holy  tribunal,  to  make  a  public  profession 
of  the  catholic  faith,  and  to  acknowledge  the  holy  tribunal 
for  the  supreme  of  all  others,  and  the  inquisitors  for  his  own 
judges.  This  is  the  first  step.  After,  he  is  to  lay  down  on 
the  table  the  certificate  of  his  baptism,  and  the  names  of  his 
parents  for  four  generations ;  the  towns  and  places  of  their 
former  habitations ;  and  two  hundred  pistoles  for  the  expenses 
in  taking  informations. 

This  done,  he  goes  home  till  the  inquisitors  send  for  him, 
and  if  they  do  not  send  for  him  in  six  months  time  he  loseth 
the  money  and  all  hopes  of  getting  the  cross  of  qualificator; 
and  this  happens  very  often  for  the  reasons  I  shall  give  by 
and  by. 

The  inquisitors  send  their  commissaries  into  all  the  places 
of  the  new  proponent's  ancestors,  where  they  may  get  some? 
account  of  their  lives  and  conversations,  and  of  the  purity  o) 
their  blood,  and  that  they  never  were  mixed  with  Jewish  fam 
ilies,  nor  heretics,  and  that  they  were  old  Christians.  These 
examinations  are  performed  in  the  most  rigorous  and  severe 
manner  that  can  be;  for  if  some  of  the  informers  and  witnesses 
are  in  a  falsity,  they  are  put  into  the  inquisition ;  so  every  body 
gives  the  report  concerning  the  family  in  question,  with  great 
caution,  to  the  best  of  his  knov.ledge  and  memory.  When 
the  commissaries  have  taken  the  necessary  informations  with 
witnesses  of  a  good  name,  they  examine  the  parish  book,  and 
take  a  copy  of  the  ancestors'  names,  the  year  and  day  of  their 
marriages,  and  the  year,  day,  and  place  of  their  burials.  The 
commissaries  then  return  to  the  inquisitors  with  all  the  exam- 
inations, witnesses,  proofs,  and  convictions  of  the  purity  and 
ancient  Christianity  of  the  proponent's  families,  for  four  gener- 
ations; and  being  again  examined  by  the  three  inquisitors^ 
if  they  find  Ihem  real  and  faithful,  then  they  send  the  same 
commissaries  to  inquire  into  the  character,  life,  and  conversa 
tion  of  the  postulant,  or  demanding  person,  but  in  this  point 


MASTER-KEY  TO  P©PERT.  167 

the  commissaries  pass  by  many  personal  failings,  so  when 
the  report  is  given  to  the  holy  inquisitors,  they  send  for  the 
postulant  and  examine  him  concerning  matters  of  faith,  the 
holy  scriptures,  the  knowledge  of  the  ancient  fathers  of  the 
church,  moral  cases,  all  which  is  but  mere  formality,  for  the 
generality  of  the  holy  fathers  themselves  do  not  take  much 
pains  in  the  study  of  those  things,  and  therefore  the  postulant 
is  not  afraid  of  tl>oir  nice  questions,  nor  very  solicitous  how  to 
resolve  them. 

When  the  examination  is  over,  they  order  the  secretary 
to  draw  the  patent  of  the  grant  of  the  holy  cross  to  such  an 
one  in  regard  to  his  families'  old  purity  of  blood  and  Christi- 
anity, and  to  his  personal  parts  and  religious  conversation, 
certifying  in  the  j)atent,  that  for  four  generations  past,  none 
of  his  father's  or  mother's  relations  were  at  all  suspected  in 
points  concerning  the  holy  Roman  catholic  faith,  or  mixed 
with  Jewish  or  heretical  blood. 

The  day  following,  the  postulant  appears  before  the  assem- 
bly of  qualificators  in  the  hall  of  the  inquisition,  and  the  first 
inquisitor  celebrates  the  mass,  assisted  by  the  two  qualifica- 
tors, as  deacon  and  subdeacon.  One  of  the  oldest  brethren 
preacheth  a  sermon  on  that  occasion,  and  when  the  mass  is 
over,  they  make  a  sort  of  procession  in  the  same  hall,  and 
after  it,  the  inquisitor  gives  the  book  of  the  gospel  to  the  pos 
tulant,  and  makes  him  swear  the  usual  oaths;  which  done, 
the  postulant,  on  his  knees,  receiveth  the  cross  or  medal,  from 
the  hands  of  the  inq\iisitor,  who,  with  a  black  ribbon,  })uts  it 
on  the  postulant's  neck,  and  begins  to  sing  te  deuTti,  and  tho 
collect  of  thanks,  wliich  is  the  end  of  the  ceremonies.  Then 
all  the  assistant  qualiiicators  congratulate  the  nev/  brother, 
and  all  go  up  to  the  inquisitor's  apartment  to  drink  chocolate, 
and  after  that,  every  one  to  his  own  dwelling  place. 
■^  The  new  qualificator  dineth  with  the  inquisitors  that  day, 
and  after  dinner  the  secretary  brings  in  a  bill  r>f  all  the  fees 
and  expenses  of  the  informations;  which  he  must  clear  be- 
fore he  leaves  the  inquisition.  Most  commonly  the  whole 
comes  to  four  hundred  pistoles,  including  the  two  hundred  he 
gave  in  the  beginning;  but  sometimes  it  comes  to  a  thousand 
pistoles,  to  those  whose  ancestors  families  were  out  of  the 
kingdom,  for  then  the  commissaries  expend  a  great  deal  more  : 
and  if  it  happen  they  find  the  least  spot  Oi'  Jewdaism,  or  Here- 
sy, in  some  relation  of  the  family,  the  commissaries  do  not 
proceed  any  further  in  the  examinations,  but  come  back  again 
to  the  inquisition  immediately,  and  then  the  postulant  is  never 


168  MASTER-KEY   TO    TOPERY. 

gent  for  by  the  inquisitors,  who  keep  the  two  hundred  pistoles 
for  pious  uses. 

Familiares, 

Are  always  laymen,  but  of  good  sense  and  education .  These 
wear  the  same  cross,  and  for  the  granting  of  it,  the  inquisitors 
make  the  same  informations  and  proofs  as  they  make  for  qual- 
ificators.  The  honor  and  privileges  are  the  same ;  for  they 
are  not  subject  but  to  the  tribunal  of  the  inquisition.  Their 
businesses  are  not  the  same ;  for  they  are  only  employed  in 
gathering  together,  and  inquiring  after  all  books  against  the 
catholic  faith,  and  to  watch  the  actions  of  suspected  people. 
They  take  a  turn  sometimes  into  the  country,  but  then  they  do 
not  wear  their  cross  openly  till  occasion  requires  it.  They 
insinuate  themselves  into  all  companies,  and  they  will  even 
speak  against  the  inquisition,  and  against  religion,  to  try  whe- 
ther the  people  are  of  that  sentiment;  in  short  they  are  spies 
of  the  inquisitors.  They  do  not  pay  so  much  as  the  qualifica- 
tors,  for  the  honor  of  the  cross,  but  they  are  obliged  to  take  a 
turn  now  and  then  in  the  country  at  their  own  expense.  They 
are  not  so  many  in  number  as  the  qualificators,  for  in  a  trial 
of  the  inquisition,  where  all  ought  to  be  present,  I  once  reck- 
oned 160,  and  twice  as  many  qualificators.  I  saw  the  list  oi 
tnem  both,  i.  e.  of  the  whole  kingdom  of  Aragon,  wherein  art 
qualificators,  of  the  secular  priests,  243;  and  of  the  regular 
406;  familiares,  208. 

The  royal  castle,  formerly  the  palace  of  the  king  of  Ara 
gon,  called  Aljafeira,  was  given  to  the  inquisitors  to  hold  thei 
tribunal  there,  and  prison  too.  It  is  a  musket  shot  distant  from 
the  city,  on  the  river  side.  But  after  the  battle  of  Almanza, 
when  the  duke  of  Orleans  came  as  generalissimo  of  the  Span- 
ish and  French  army,  he  thought  that  place  necessary  to  put  a 
strong  garrison  in;  so  he  made  the  marquis  de  Torseygovernoi 
of  the  fort  of  Aljafeira,  and  turned  out  the  inquisitors;  who 
being  obliged,  by  force,  to  quit  their  apartments,  took  a  large 
nouse  near  the  Carmelites'  convent:  but  two  months  after, 
finding  that  the  place  was  not  safe  enough  to  keep  the  prison- 
ers in,  they  removed  to  the  palace  of  the  earl  of  Tuents,  in 
the  great  street  called  Coso,  out  of  which  they  were  turned 
by  Monsieur  de  Legal,  as  'I  shall  tell  by  and  by. 

A  form  of  their  public  trial. 
If  the  trial  is  to  be  made  publicly,  in  the  hall  of  the  holy 
Dfl[ice,  the  inquisitors  summon  two  priests  out  of  every  parish 


BIA.STER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  169 

church,  and  two  regular  priests  out  of  every  convent,  all  the 
qualificators  and  lamiliarcs  that  are  in  the  city;  the  sheriff, 
and  all  the  under  officers ;  the  secretary,  and  three  inquisitors. 
All  the  aforesaid  meet  at  the  common  hall  on  the  day  appoint- 
ed for  the  trial  at  ten  in  the  morning.  The  hall  is  hung  in 
black,  without  any  windows,  or  light,  but  what  comes  in  through 
the  door.  At  the  front  there  is  an  image  of  our  Saviour  on  the 
crossj  under  a  black  velvet  canopy,  and  six  candlesticks  with 
six  thick  yellow  wax  candles  on  the  altar's  table :  On  one  side 
there  is  a  pulpit,  with  another  candle,  where  the  secretary 
reads  the  crimes ;  three  chairs  for  the  three  inquisitors,  and 
round  about  the  hall,  seats  and  chairs  for  the  summoned  priests, 
fiiars,  familiares,  and  other  officers. 

When  the  inquisitors  are  come  in,  an  under  officer  crieth 
out,  Silence,  silence,  silence,  the  holy  fathers  are  coming;— 
and  from  that  very  time,  till  all  is  over,  nobody  speaks  nor 
spits ;  and  the  thought  of  the  place  puts  every  body  under 
respect,  fear,  and  attention.  The  holy  fathers,  with  their  hats 
on  their  heads,  and  'serious  countenances,  go,  and  kneeling 
down  before  the  altar,  the  first  inquisitor  begins  to  give  out, 
Veni  Creator  Spiritiis,  Mentos  tuorum  visita,  &.c.  And  the 
congregation  sing  the  rest,  and  the  collect  being  said  by  him 
also,  every  body  sits  down.  The  secretary  then  goes  up  to 
the  pulpit,  and  the  holy  fathe/  rings  a  small  silver  bell,  which 
Is  the  signal  for  bringing  in  the  criminal.  What  is  done  after- 
rr^vids  will  be  known  by  the  following  trial  and  mstances,  at 
which  I  was  present,  being  one  of  the  youngest  priests  of  the 
cathedral,  and  therefore  obliged  to  go  to  those  dismal  tragedies; 
in  which,  the  first  thing,  after  the  criminal  comes  in,  and 
kneels  down  before  the  inquisitors,  who  receives  a  severe, 
bitter  correction  from  the  inquisitor,  who  measures  it  accord- 
ing to  the  nature  of  the  crimes  committed  by  the  criminal ;  of 
all  which,  to  the  best  of  my  memory,  I  will  give  an  account 
in  the  first  trial. 

Trial  I. 

Of  the  reverend  fathei  Joseph  Silvestre,  Franciscan  friar; 
and  the  mother  Mary  of  Jesus,  abbess  of  the  monastery  of 
Epila,  of  Franciscan  nuns.  Father  Joseph  was  a  tall,  lusty 
man, 40  years  of  age,  and  had  been  12  years  professor  of  phi- 
losophy and  divinity  in  the  great  convent  of  St.  Francis.    *Sor 

^Sor  is  a  title  given  to  the  nuns,  which  answers  to  Sister,  as  coDiing  from 
tne  Latin  Sorror. 


170  MASTEE-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

Mary  was  32  years  old,  mighty  witty,  and  of  an  agreeable 
countenance.  These  two  criminals  were  drest  in  brown 
gowns,  painted  all  over  with  flames  of  fire,  representing 
hell,  a  thick  rope  tied  about  their  necks,  and  yellow  wax 
candles  in  their  hands.  Both,  in  this  dull  appearance,  came 
and  prostrated  themselves  at  the  inquisitor's  feet,  and  the  first 
holy  father  began  to  correct  them  in  the  following  words : 

Unworthy  creatures,  how  can  our  catholic  Roman  faith  be 
preserved  pure,  if  those  who,  by  their  office  and  ministry, 
ought  to  recommend  its  observance  in  the  most  earnest  man- 
ner, are  not  only  the  first,  but  the  greatest  transgressors  of 
it?  Thou  that  teachest  another  not  to  steal,  not  to  commit 
fornication,  'dost  thou  steal  and  commit  sacrilege,  which  is 
worse  than  fornication?  In  these  things  we  could  show  you 
pity  and  compassion ;  but  as  to  the  transgressions  of  the  ex- 
press commandments  of  our  church,  and  the  respect  due  to 
us  the  judges  of  the  holy  tribunal,  we  cannot;  therefore  youx 
sentence  is  pronounced  by  these  holy  fathers  of  pity  and 
compassion,  lord  inquisitors,  as  you  shall  hear  now,  and  after- 
wards undergo. 

Sor  Mary  was  in  a  flood  of  tears ;  but  father  Joseph,  who 
was  a  learned  man,  with  great  boldness  and  assurance, 
said.  What,  do  you  call  yourselves  holy  fathers  of  pjty  and 
compassion  ?  I  say  unto  you,  that  you  are  three  devils 
on  earth,  fathers  of  all  manner  of  mischief,  barbarity  and 
lewdness. 

No  inquisitors  were  ever  treated  ai  sucn  a  rate  before,  and 
we  were  thinking  that  friar  Joseph  was  to  suffer  fire,  for  this 
high  affi'ont  to  them.  But  Don  Pedro  Guerrero,  first  judge, 
though  a  severe,  haughty,  passionate  man,  ordered  only  a  gag, 
or  bit  of  a  bridle  to  be  put  into  his  mouth;  but  friar  Joseph 
flying  into  a  fury,  said,  I  despise  all  your  torments,  for  my 
crimes  are  not  against  you,  but  against  God,  who  is  the  only 
judge  of  my  conscience,  and  you  do  yet  worse  things,  &.c. 

The  inquisitors  ordered  to  carry  him  to  prison,  while  the 
crimes  and  sentence  were  reading.  So  he  was  carried  in, 
and  the  nun  with  great  humility  heard  the  accusation  and 
sentence. 

The  secretary,  by  order,  began  to  read,  1st.  That  friar 
Joseph  was  made  father  confessor,  and  sor  Mary  mother  ab- 
bess.  That  in  the  beginning  they  showed  a  great  example 
of  humility  and  virtue  to  the  nuns ;  but  afterwards  all  this 
zeal  of  theirs  appeared  to  be  mere  hypocris}^,  and  a  cover  for 
their  wicked  actions :  for  as  she  had  a  grate  in  the  wall  of 


]\L^.STER-KEY   TO   POPERY.  171 

friar  Joseph's  room,  they  both  did  eat  in  orivate,  and  fast  m 
pubhc:  That  the  said  friar  Joseph  was  found  in  bed  with  sor 
Mary  by  such  a  nun;  and  that  she  was  found  with  child,  and 
tooh  a  remedy  to  prevent  the  pubHc  proof  of  it:  That  both 
friar  Joseph  and  sor  Mary  had  robbed  the  treasure  of  the  con- 
vent; and  that  one  day  they  were  contriving  ho^y  to  go  away 
into  another  country,  and  that  they  had  spoken  in  an  irreve- 
rent manner  of  the  pope  and  inquisitors. 

This  was  the  whole  accusation  against  them,  which  friar 
Joseph  and  sor  Mary  had  denied  before,  saying,  it  was  only 
hatred  and  makce  of  the  informers  against  them,  and  desired 
the  witnesses  to  be  produced  before  them;  and  this  being 
xgainst  the  custom  of  the  holy  office,  the  holy  fathers  had 
pronounced  the  sentence,  viz :  That  friar  Joseph  should  be 
deprived  of  all  the  honors  of  his  order,  and  of  active  and 
passive  voice,  and  be  removed  to  a  country  convent,  and  be 
whipped  three  times  a  week  for  the  space  of  six  weeks.  That 
sor  Mary  should  be  deprived  of  her  abbacy,  and  removed  into 
another  monastery :  this  punishment  being  only  for  their  au 
dacious  and  unrespectful  manner  of  talking  against  the  pope 
and  inquisitors. 

Indeed,  by  this  sentence  we  did  believe,  that  the  crimes  they 
were  charged  with  were  only  an  invention  of  the  malicious 
nuns;  but  poor  friar  Joseph  suffered  for  his  indiscretion;  for 
though  the  next  day  the  inquisitors  gave  out  that  he  escaped 
out  of  prison,  we  really  believe  he  had  been  strangled  in  the 
inquisition. 

This  was  the  first  trial  I  was  present  at,  and  the  second 
was  that  of  Mary  Guerrero  and  friar  Michael  Navarro,  of 
which  I  have  given  an  account  in  the  chapter  of  auricular 
confessions.  After  these  two  trials  the  inquisitors  were  turn- 
ed out  by  monsieur  de  Legal,  and  for  eight  months  we  had  no 
inquisition.  How  this  thing  happened,  is  worthy  of  obser- 
vation; therefore  I  shall  give  a  particular  account  of  it,  that 
I  may  not  deprive  the  public  of  so  pleasant  a  story. 

In  1708,  after  the  battle  of  Almanza,  the  Spanish  army  be- 
ing divided  into  two  bodies,  one  through  the  kingdom  of  Va- 
lencia, to  the  frontiers  of  Catalonia,  commanded  by  the  duke 
of  Berwick;  the  other  composed  of  the  French  auxiliary 
troops,  14,000  in  number,  went  to  the  conquest  of  Arragon, 
whose  inhabitants  had  declared  themselves  for.  king  Charles 
III.  The  body  of  French  troops  was  commanded  bv  his  high- 
ness the  duke  of  Orleans,  who  was  the  generalissimo  cf  the 
whole  army.     Before  he  came  near  the  city,  the  magistrates 


172  SIASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

went  to  meet  him,  and  offered  the  keys  of  the  city,  but  he  fe 
fused  them,  saying,  he  was  to  enter  it  through  a  breach;  and 
so  he  did,  treating  the  people  as  rebels  to  their  lawful  king. 
And  w^hen  he  had  ordered  all  the  civil  and  military  affairs  of 
the  city,  he  went  down  to  the  frontiers  of  Catalonia,  leaving 
his  lieutenant-general,  monsieur  de  Jofreville,  governor  of  the 
town.  Bjt  this  governor  being  a  mild  tempered  man,  was 
loth  to  follow  the  orders  left  him  as  to  the  contribution  money: 
So  he  was  called  to  the  army,  and  the  lieutenant-general,  mori' 
sieur  de  Legal,  came  in  his  place.  The  city  was  to  pay  1,000 
crowns  a  month,  for  the  duke's  table,  and  every  house  a  pis- 
tole, which  by  computation  made  the  sum  of  18,000  pistoles  a 
month,  which  Were  paid  eight  months  together;  besides  this, 
the  convents  were  to  pay  a  donative,  or  gift,  proportionable  to 
their  rents.  The  college  of  Jesuits  were  charged  2,000  pis- 
toles, the  Dominicans  1,000,  Augustins  1,000,  Carmelites 
1,000,  &c.  Monsieur  de  Legal  sent  first  to  the  Jesuits,  who 
refused  to  pay,  saying,  it  was  against  the  ecclesiastical  immu- 
nity: But  Legal,  not  acquainted  with  these  sort  of  excuses, 
sent  four  companies  of  grenadiers  to  quarter  in  theii*'  college 
at  discretion:  The  father  sent  immediately  an  express  to  the 
king's  fither  confessor,  who  w^as  a  Jesuit,  with  complaints 
about  the  case :  But  the  grenadiers  did  make  more  expedition 
in  their  plundering  and  mischiefs,  than  the  courier  did  in  his 
jou'-ney.  So  the  fathers,  seeing  the  damage  all  their  goods 
had  already  received,  and  fearing  some  violence  upon  their 
treasure,  went  to  pay  monsieur  Legal  the  2,000  pistoles  as  a 
donative. 

Next  to  this  he  sent  to  the  Dominicans.  The  friars  of  this 
order  are  all  familiares  of  the  holy  office,  and  depending  upon 
it,  they  did  excuse  themselves  in  a  civil  manner,  saying,  they 
had  no  money,  and  if  monsieur  de  Legal  had  a  mind  to  insist 
upon  the  demand  of  the  1000  pistoles,  they  could  not  pay 
them,  without  sending  to  him  the  silver  bodies  of  the  saints. 
The  friars  thought  by  this  to  frighten  monsieur  de  Legal,  and 
i{  he  was  so  resolute  as  to  accept  the  offer,  to  send  the  saints 
in  a  procession,  and  raise  the  people,  crying  out  Heresy,  Her- 
esy. De  Legal  answered  to  the  friars,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
obey  the  duke's  orders,  and  so  he  would  receive  the  silver 
saints:  So  the  friars  all  in  a  solemn  procession,  and  with 
lighted  candles  in  their  hands,  carried  the  saints  to  the  gover- 
nor Legal:  And  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  this  public  devotion 
of  the  friars,  he  ordered  immediately  four  companies  of  grena- 
diers to  line  the  streets  on  both  sides,  before  his  house,  and  tc 


MASTER-KEY   TO    POPERY.  173 

keep  their  fuzees  in  one  hand,  and  a  lighted  candle  in  the  oth- 
er, to  rsce've  the  saints  with  the  same  devotion  and  venera- 
tion.    And  though  tiie  friars  endeavored  to  raise  the  people, 
nobody  was  so  bold  as  to  expose  themselves  to  the  army,  ^here 
beini?  left  ei^ht  re-i^iments  to  keep  the  mob  under  fear  and  sub- 
jection.     Legal  received  the  saints,  and  sent  them  to  the  mint, 
promising  to  the  father  prior  to  give  him  what  remained  above 
the  1 ,00o  pistoles.     The  friars  being  disappointed  m  the  pro- 
ject of  raising  the  people,  went  to  the   inquisitors  to  desire 
them  to  release  immediately  their  saints  out  of  the  mint,  by 
excommunicating   monsieur  de  Legal,  which  the   inquisitors 
did  upon  the  spot;  and  the  excommunication  being  drawn  and 
signed,  they   gave   strict  orders  to  their  secretary  to  go  and 
read  it  before  monsieur  de  Legal,  which  he  did  accordingly: 
And  monsieur  the  governor,  fir  from  flying  into  a  passion, 
with  a  mild  countenance  took  the  paper  from  the  secretary, 
and  said,    Pray,  tell  your  masters,  the  inquisitors,  that  I  will 
answer  them  to-morrow  morning.     The  secretary  went  away 
fully  satisfied  with  LegaPs  civil  behaviour.     The  same  min- 
ute, as  if  he  was  inspired  by  the  holy  spirit,  without  reflecting 
upon  any  consequence,  he  called  his  own  secretary,  he  bid 
him  draw  a  copy  of  the   excommunication,  putting  out   the 
name  of  Legal,  and  inserting  in  its  place  the  holy  InqvisUors. 
The  next  morning  he  gave   orders  for  four   regiments  to  be 
ready,  and  sent  them  along  with  his  secretary  to  the  inquisi- 
tion, with  command  to  read  the  excommunication  to  the  inquis- 
itors themselves,  and  if  they  made  the  least  noise,  to  turn  tbcm 
out,  open  all  the  prisons,  and  quarter  two  regiments  there.  He 
was  not  afraid  of  the  people,  for  the  duke  took  away  ail  the 
arms  from  every  individual  person,  and  on  pain  of  death  com- 
manded that  nobody  should  keep  but  a  short  sword;  and  be- 
sides, four  regiments  were  underarms,  to  prevent  all  sorts  of 
tumult  and  disturbance:  So  his  secretary  went  and  performed 
the  governor's  orders.     The  inquisitors  were  never  more  sur- 
prised than  to  see  themselves  excommunicated  by  a  man  that 
had  no  authority  for  it,  and  resenting  it,  they  began  to  cry  out. 
War  against  the  heretic  de  Legal;   this    is    a    public    insult 
against  our  catholic  faith.     To  which  the  secretary  answered, 
Holy  Inquisitors,  the  king  wants   this  house  to  quarter  his 
troops  in,  so  walk  out  immediately:  And  as  they  continued  'r 
their  exclamations,  he  took  the  inquisitor?,  with  a  strong  guard, 
and  carried  them  to  a  private  house  destined  for  them;  but 
when  :hey  saw  the  laws  of  military  discipline,   they  begged 
leave  .0  take  their  goods  along  widi  them,  which  was  immedi- 

p  2 


174  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

ately  granted ;  and  the  next  day  they  set  out  for  Madrid,  to 
complain  to  the  king,  who  gave  them  this  slight  answer  I  am 
very  sorry  for  it,  but  I  cannot  help  it;  my  crown  is  in  danger, 
and  my  grandfather  defends  it,  and  this  is  done  by  his  troops, 
if  it  had  been  done  by  my  troops,  I  should  apply  a  speedy  rem- 
edy: But  you  must  have  patience  till  things  take  another 
turn.  So  the  inquisitors  were  obliged  to  have  patience  for 
eight  months. 

The  secretary  of  monsieur  de  Legal,  according  to  his  or 
ders,  opened  the  doors  of  all  the  prisons,  and  then  the  wicked- 
nesses of  the  inquisitors  were  detected,  for  four  hundred  pris- 
oners got  liberty  that  day,  and  among  them  sixty  young  women 
were  found  very  well  drest,  who  were,  in  all  human  appear- 
ance, the  number  of  the  three  inquisitors'  Sei'aglio,  as  some 
of  them  did  own  afterwards.  But  this  discovery,  so  danger- 
ous to  the  holy  tribunal,  was  in  some  measure  prevented  by 
the  archbishop,  who  went  to  desire  monsieur  de  Legal  to  send 
those  women  to  his  palace,  and  that  his  grace  would  take  care 
of  them;  and  that  in  the  mean  time,  he  ordered  an  ecclesias- 
tical censure  to  be  published  against  those  that  should  defame, 
by  groundless  reports,  the  holy  office  of  the  inquisition.  The 
governor  answered  to  his  grace,  he  would  give  him  all  the  as- 
sistance for  it  he  could ;  but  as  to  the  young  women,  it  was  not 
in  his  power,  the  officers  having  hurried  them  away:  And  in- 
deed it  was  not;  for  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  inquisi- 
tors, having  the  absolute  power  to  confine  in  their  Seraglio 
whomsoever  they  had  a  fancy  for,  would  choose  ordinary  girls, 
but  the  best  and  handsomest  of  the  city:  So  the  French  offi- 
cers were  all  so  glad  of  getting  such  fine  mistresses,  that  they 
immediately  took  them  away,  knowing  very  well  they  would 
follow  them  to  the  end  of  the  world  for  fear  of  being  confined 
again.  In  my  travels  in  France  afterwards,  I  met  with  one 
of  those  women  at  Rotchfort,  in  the  same  inn  I  went  to  lodge 
in  that  night,  who  had  been  brought  there  by  the  son  of  the 
master  of  the  inn,  formerly  lieutenant  in  the  French  service 
in  Spain,  who  had  married  her  for  her  extraordinary  beauty 
and  good  parts.  She  was  the  daughter  of  counsellor  Ballabri- 
ga,  and  I  knew  her  before  she  was  taken  up  by  the  inquisi- 
tors' orders:  but  we  thought  she  was  stolen  by  some  officer; 
tor  this  was  given  out  by  her  father,  who  died  of  grief  and 
vexation,  without  the  comfort  of  opening  his  trouble,  nay, 
oven  to  his  confessors,  so  great  is  the  fear  of  the  inquisitors 
there. 

I  was  very  glad  to  meet  one  of  my  country-women  in  my 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  l'75 

travels;  and  as  she  did  not  rennember  me,  and  especially  in 
my  then  disguise,  I  was  taken  for  nothing  but  an  officer.  I 
resolved  to  stay  there  the  next  day,  to  have  the  satisfaction  of 
conversing  with  her,  and  have  a  plain  account  of  what  we 
could  not  know  in  Saragossa,  for  fear  of  incurring  the  eccle- 
siastical censure,  published  by  the  archbishop.  Now  my  con- 
versation with  her  being  a  propos,  and  necessary  to  discover 
the  roguery  of  the  inquisitors,  it  seems  proper  to  divert  the  rea- 
der with  it. 

Mr.  Faulcaut,  my  country-woman's  husband,  w^as  then  at 
Pans,  upon  some  pretensions;  and  though  her  father  and 
molher-in-law  were  continually  at  home,  they  did  not  mistrust 
me,  1  being  a  countryman  of  their  daughter-in-law,  who  freely 
came  to  my  room  at  any  time;  and  as  1  was  desiring  her  not 
to  expose  herself  to  any  uneasiness  on  my  account,  she  an- 
swered me,  Captain,  we  are  now  in  France,  not  in  Saragossa, 
and  we  enjoy  here  all  manner  of  freedom,  without  going  be- 
yond the  limits  of  sobriety;  so  you  may  be  easy  in  that  point, 
for  my  father  and  mother-in-law  have  ordered  me  to  be  obli- 
ging to  you,  nay,  and  to  beg  the  favor  of  you  to  take  your  re- 
pose here  this  week,  if  your  business  permit  it,  and  to  be 
pleased  to  accept  this  their  small  entertainment  on  free-cost, 
as  a  token  of  their  esteem  to  me,  and  my  country-gentleman. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  my  continual  fear  of  being  discovered,  1 
would  have  accepted  the  proposition ;  so  I  thanked  her,  and 
begged  her  to  return  my  hearty  acknowledgment  to  the  gen 
tleman  and  lady  of  the  house,  and  that  I  was  ver}^  sorry,  that 
my  pressing  business,  at  Paris,  would  prevent  and  hinder  me 
to  enjoy  so  agreeable  company:  but  if  my  business  was  soon 
despatched  at  Paris,  then,  at  my  return,  I  would  make  a  halt 
there,  may-be  for  a  fortnight.  Mrs.  Faulcaut  was  very  much 
concerned  at  my  haste  to  go  away :  but  she  did  make  me  prom- 
ise to  come  back  again  that  w^ay.  So  amidst  these  compli- 
ments from  one  to  another,  supper  came  in,  and  we  went  to  it, 
the  old  man  and  woman,  their  daughter  and  I:  none  but  Mrs. 
Faulcaut  could  speak  Spanish,  so  she  was  my  interpreter,  for 
I  could  not  speak  French.  After  supper,  the  landlord  and 
landlady  left  us  alone,  and  I  began  to  beg  of  her  the  favor  to 
tell  me  the  accident  of  her  prison,  of  her  sufferings  in  the  in- 
quisition, and  of  every  thing  relating  to  the  holy  office ;  and 
fear  not,  (said  I,)  for  we  are  in  France,  and  not  in  Saragossa; 
here  is  no  inquisition,  so  you  ma}^  safely  open  your  heart  to  a 
countryman   of  -yours.     I  will,  with  all  my  heart,  (said  she,) 


176  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY 

and  to  satisfy  your  curiosity,  I  shall  begin  with  the  occasion 
of  my  imprisonment,  which  was  as  follows. 

I  went  one  day  with  my  mother  to  visit  the  countess  of  At- 
tarass,  and  I  met  there  Don  Francisco  Torrejon,  her  confessor, 
and  second  inquisitor  of  the  holy  office.  Af^er  we  had  drunk 
chocolate,  he  asked  my  age,  and  my  confessor's  name,  and  so 
many  intricate  questions  about  religion,  that  I  could  not  an- 
swer him.  His  serious  countenance  did  frighten  me,  and  a3 
he  perceived  my  fear,  he  desired  the  countess  to  tell  me,  that 
he  was  not  so  severe  as  I  took  him  to  be ;  after  which  he  ca- 
ressed me  in  the  most  obliging  manner  in  the  world ;  he  gave 
me  his  hand,  which  I  kissed  with  great  respect  and  modesty; 
and  when  he  went  away,  he  told  me,  My  dear  child,  I  shall  re- 
member you  till  the  next  time.  I  did  not  mind  the  sense  of 
the  words;  fori  was  unexperienced  in  matters  of  gallantry, 
being  only  fifteen  years  old  at  that  time.  Indeed  he  did  re- 
member me,  for  the  very  night  f dlowing,  while  in  bed,  hear- 
ing a  hard  knocking  at  the  door,  the  maid  went  to  the  window, 
and  asking.  Who  is  there  ?  I  heard  say.  The  holy  inquisition. 
I  could  not  forbear  crying  out,  Father,  father,  I  am  ruined  for 
ever.  My  dear  father  got  up,  and  inquiring  what  the  matter 
was,  I  answered  him,  with  tears.  The  inquisition ;  and  he,  for 
fear  that  the  maid  should  not  open  the  door  as  quick  as  such  a 
case  required,  went  himself,  as  another  Abraham,  to  open  the 
door,  and  to  offer  his  dear  daughter  to  the  fire  of  the  inquisi- 
tors, and  as  I  did  not  cease  to  cry  out,  as  if  I  was  a  mad  girl, 
my  dear  father,  all  in  tears,  did  put  in  my  mouth  a  lit  of  a 
bridle,  to  show  his  obedience  to  the  holy  office,  and  his  zeal 
for  the  catholic  faith,  for  he  thought  I  had  committed  some 
crime  against  religion;  so  the  officers  gave  me  but  time  to  put 
on  my  clothes,  took  me  down  into  the  coach,  and  v/ithout  giv- 
ing me  the  satisfaction  of  embracing  my  dear  father  and 
mother,  they  carried  me  into  the  inquisition.  I  did  expect  to 
die  that  very  night;  but  when  they  carried  me  into  a  noble 
room,  well  furnished,  and  an  excellent  bed  in  it,  I  was  quite 
surprised.  The  officers  left  me  there,  and  immediately  a  maid 
came  in  with  a  salver  of  sweetmeats  and  cinnamon  w  ater,  de- 
siring me  to  take  some  refreshment  bef<jre  I  Vvont  to  bed:  1 
told  her  that  I  could  not;  but  that  I  should  be  obliged  to  her, 
if  she  could  tell  me  whether  I  was  to  die  that  night  or  not? 
Die,  (said  she,)  you  do  not  come  here  to  die,  but  to  live  like  a 
princess,  and  you  shall  want  nothing  in  the  v/orld  but  the  lib- 
erty of  going  out;  and  now  pray  mind  nothing,  but  to  go  to 
bed,  and  sleep  easy,  for  to-morrow  you  shall  see  wonders  ia 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  177 

this  house,  and  as  I  am  chosen  to  be  your  waiting  maid,  I  hope 
you  will  be  very  kind  to  me.  I  was  going  to  ask  her  some 
questions,  but  she  told  me.  Madam,  I  have  not  leave  to  tell 
you  any  thing  else  till  to-morrow,  only  that  nobody  shall  come 
to  distirb  you;  and  now  I  am  going  about  some  business,  and 
I  will  come  back  presently,  for  my  bed  is  in  the  closet  near 
your  bed :  So  she  left  me  there  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The 
great  amazement  I  was  in,  took  away  all  my  senses,  or  the 
free  exercise  of  them,  for  I  had  not  liberty  to  think  of  my  parents, 
nor  of  grief,  nor  of  the  danger  that  was  so  near  me :  So  in  this 
suspension  ^f  thought,  the  waiting-maid  came  and  locked  the 
chamber  door  after  her,  and  told  me.  Madam,  let  us  go  to  bed, 
and  only  tell  m.e  at  what  time  in  the  morning  you  will  have 
the  chocolate  ready?  I  asked  her  name,  and  she  told  me  it 
was  Mary.  Mary,  for  God's  sake,  (said  I,  )  tell  me  whether  I 
come  to  die  or  not?  I  have  told  you,  madam,  that  you  came 
(she  said)  to  live  as  one  of  the  happiest  creatures  in  the  world. 
And  as  I  observed  her  reservedness,  I  did  not  ask  her  any 
more  questions:  So  recommending  myself  to  God  Almighty, 
and  to  our  lady  of  Pilar,  and  preparing  myself  to  die,  I  went  to 
bed,  but  could  not  sleep  one  minute.  I  was  up  with  the  day, 
but  Mary  slept  till  six  of  the  clock :  Then  she  got  up,  and  won- 
dering to  see  me  up,  she  said  to  me.  Pray,  madam,  will  you 
drink  chocolate  now?  Do  what  you  please  (said  I):  then  she 
]efi  mc  half  an  hour  alone,  and  she  came  back  with  a  silver 
plate  with  two  cups  of  chocolate,  and  some  biscuit  on  it.  I 
drank  one  cup,  and  desired  her  to  drink  the  other,  which  she 
did.  Well,  Mary,  (said  I,)  can  you  give  m.e  any  account  of  the 
reason  of  my  being  here?  Not  yet,  madam,  (said  she,)  but 
only  have  patience  for  a  little  while.  With  this  answer  she 
left  me;  and  an  hour  after  came  again  with  two  baskets,  with 
a  fine  holland  shift,  a  holland  under  petticoat,  with  fine  lace 
round  it;  two  silk  petticoats  and  a  little  Spanish  v/aisttoat, 
with  a  gold  fringe  all  over  it;  with  combs  and  ribbons,  and 
every  thing  suitable  to  a  lady  of  higher  quality  than  I:  But 
my  greatest  surprise  v.as  to  see  a  gold  snuff-box,  with  a  pic- 
ture of  Don  Francisco  Torrejon  in  it.  Then  I  soon  under- 
stood the  meaning  of  my  confinement.  So  I  considered  with 
myself,  that  to  refuse  the  present  v/ould  be  the  occasnjn  of  my 
immediate  death;  and  to  accept  of  it,  was  to  give  to  him,  even 
on  the  first  day,  too  great  encouragement  against  my  honor. 
But  I  found,  as  I  thought  then,  a  medi"um  in  the  case;  sol  said, 
Mary,  pray  give  my  service  to  Don  Francisco  Torrejon,  and 
t^ll  him,  tb  At  as  I  could  not  bring  my  clothes   with  mo  last 


178  MASTER-KL^  TO  POPERY. 

night,  honesty  permits  me  to  accept  of  these  clothes,  which 
are  necessary  to  keep  me  decent;  but  since  I  take  no  snuff,! 
beg  his  lordship  to  ex(;use  me,  if  1  do  not  accept  this  bc-x. 
Mary  went. to  him  with  this  answer,  and  came  again  with  a 
picture  nicely  set  in  gold,  with  four  diamonds  at  the  four  cor- 
ners of  it,  and  told  me,  that  his  lordship  was  mistaken,  and 
that  he  desired  me  to  accept  that  picture,  which  would  be  a 
great  favor  to  him :  and  while  1  was  thinking  with  myself 
what  to  do,  Mary  said  to  me,  Pray,  madam,  take  my  poor  ad- 
vice, accept  the  picture,  and  every  thing  that  he  sends  to  youj 
for  consider,  that  if  you  do  not  consent  and  comp'y  with  every 
thing  he  has  a  mind  for,  you  will  soon  be  put  to  death,  and 
no  body  will  defend  you;  but  if  you  are  obliging  and  kind  to 
him,  he  is  a  very  complaisant  and  agreeable  gentleman,  and 
will  be  a  charming  lover,  and  you  will  be  here  like  a  queen, 
and  he  will  give  you  another  apartment,  with  a  fine  garden, 
and  many  young  ladies  shall  come  to  visit  you :  So  I  advise 
you  to  send  a  civil  answer  to  him,  and  desire  a  visit  from  him, 
or  else  you  will  soon  begin  to  repent  yourself.  O  dear  God, 
(said  I,)  must  I  abandon  my  honor  without  any  remedy!  If  J 
oppose  his  desire,  he  by  force  will  obtain  it.  So,  full  of  con- 
fusion, I  bid  Mary  to  give  him  what  answer  she  thought  fit 
She  was  very  glad  of  my  humble  submission,  and  went  to 
give  Don  Francisco  my  answer.  She  came  back  a  few  min- 
utes after,  all  overjoyed,  to  tell  me,  that  his  lordship  would 
honor  me  with  his  company  at  supper,  and  that  he  could  not 
come  sooner  on  account  of  some  business  that  called  hini 
abroad ;  but  in  the  mean  time  desired  me  to  mind  nothing,  but 
how  to  divert  myself,  and  to  give  to  Mary  my  measure  for  a 
suit  of  clothes,  and  order  her  to  bring  me  every  thing  I  could 
wish  for.  Mary  added  to  this.  Madam,  I  may  call  you  now 
my  mistress,  and  must  tell  you,  that  I  have  been  in  the  holy 
office  these  fourteen  years,  and  I  know  the  customs  of  it  very 
well;  but  because  silence  is  imposed  upon  me  ur>der  pain  of 
death,  I  cannot  tell  you  any  thing  but  what  concerns  your 
person:  So,  in  the  first  place,  do  not  oppose  the  holy  father's 
will  and  pleasure:  Secondly,  if  you  see  some  young  ladies 
here,  never  ask  them  the  occasion  of  thcii  oeinghere,  nor  any 
thing  of  their  business,  neither  will  they  ask  you  any  thing 
of  this  nature,  and  take  care  not  to  tell  them  any  thing  of  your 
being  here  you  maj'^  come  and  divert  yourself  with  them  at 
6uch  hours  :.s  are  appointed;  you  shall  have  music,  and  all 
scrts  of  recreations ;  three  days  hence  you  shall  dine  with 
them  J    they  are  all  ladies  of  quality,  young  and   merry,  and 


MASTEll-KFA'  TO  POPERY.  179 

this  is  the  best  of  lives;  you  will  not  long  for  going  abroao, 
you  will  be  so  well  diverted  at  home ;  and  when  your  time  is 
expired,  then  the  holy  fathers  will  send  you  out  of  this  coun- 
try, and  marry  you  to  some  nobleman.  Never  mention  the 
aame  of  Don  Francisco,  nor  your  name  to  any.  If  you  see 
here  some  young  ladies  of  your  acquaintance  in  the  city,  they 
will  never  take  notice  of  your  formerly  knowing  each  other, 
though  they  will  talk  with  you  of  indifferent  matters;  so  take 
care  not  to  speak  any  thing  of  your  family. 

All  these  things  together  made  me  astonished,  or  rather 
stui)ified,  and  the  whole  seemed  to  me  a  piece  of  enchant- 
ment; so  that  I  could  not  imagine  what  to  thmk  of  it.  With 
this  lesson  she  left  me,  and  told  me  she  was  going  to  order  my 
dinner;  and  every  time  she  went  out,  she  locked  the  door  after 
her.  There  were  but  two  high  windows  in  my  chamber,  and 
I  could  see  nothing  through  them;  but  examining  the  room 
all  over,  I  found  a  closet  with  all  sorts  of  historical  and  pro- 
fane books,  and  every  thing  necessary  for  writing.  So  I 
spent  my  time  till  the  dinner  came  in,  reading  some  diverting 
amorous  stories,  which  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me.  When 
Mary  came  with  the  things  for  the  table,  I  told  her  that  I 
was  inclined  to  sleep,  and  that  I  would  rather  sleep  than  go 
to  dinner;  so  she  asked  me  whether  she  should  awaken  me 
or  not,  and  at  what  time  ?  Two  hours  hence  (said  I,)  so  I 
lay  dov/n  and  fell  asleep,  which  was  a  great  refreshment  tc 
me.  At  the  time  fixed  she  wakened  me,  and  I  went  to  din- 
ner, at  which  was  every  thing  that  could  satisfy  the  most  nice 
appetite.  After  dinner  she  left  me  alone,  and  told  me, 
if  I  wanted  any  thing,  I  might  ring  the  bell  and  call :  So 
I  went  to  the  closet  again,  and  spent  three  hours  in  reading. 
I  think  really  I  was  under  some  enchantment,  for  1  was  in  a 
perfect  suspension  of  thought,  so  as  to  remember  neither  father 
nor  mother,  tor  this  run  least  in  my  mind,  and  what  was  at 
that  time  most  in  it,  I  do  not  know.  Mary  came  and  told  me, 
that  Don  Francisco  was  come  home,  and  that  she  thought  he 
would  come  to  see  me  very  soon,  and  begged  of  me  to  prepare 
mj^self  to  receive  him  with  af  manner  of  kindness.  At  seven 
in  the  evening  Don  Francisco  came,  in  his  night-gown  and 
night-cap,  not  with  the  gravity  of  an  inquisitor,  but  with  the 
gaiety  of  an  officer.  He  saluted  me  with  great  respect  and 
civility,  and  told  me  that  he  had  designed  to  keep  my  company 
at  supper,  but  could  not  that  night,  having  some  business  of 
consequence  to  finish  in  his  closet;  and  that  his  coming  to  see 
me  was  only   -ut  of  the  respect  he  had  for  my  fanxily,  and  to 


ISO  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

tell  me  at  the  same  time,  that  some  of  my  lovers  had  procured 
my  ruin  forever,  accusing  me  in  matters  of  religion;  that  the 
informations  were  taken,  and  the  sentence  pronounced  against 
me,  to  he  burnt  alive,  in  a  dry  pan,  v/iih  a  gradual  fire,  but 
that  he,  out  of  pity  and  love  to  my  family,  had  stopped  the  ex 
ecu  lion  of  it.  Each  of  these  words  v/as  a  mortal  stroke  on  my 
hearty  and  knowing  not  what  I  was  doing,  I  threw  myself  at 
his  feet,  and  said,  Seignor,  have  you  stopped  the  execution 
for  ever?  That  only  belongs  to  you  to  stop  it,  or  not  (said  he); 
and  with  this  he  wished  me  a  good  night.  As  soon  as  he  went 
away,  I  fell  a  crying;  but  Mary  came  and  asked  me  what 
obliged  me  to  cry  so  bitterly?  Ah!  good  Mary,  (said  I,)  pray 
tell  me  what  is  the  meaning  of  the  dry  pan  and  gradual  fire! 
For  I  am  in  expectation  of  nothing  but  death,  and  that  by  it. 
O,  pray  never  fear,  you  will  see  another  day  the  pan  and  grad- 
ual fire ;  but  they  are  made  for  those  that  oppose  the  holy  fa- 
thers' will,  not  for  you,  who  are  so  ready  to  obey  them.  But, 
pray,  was  Don  Francisco  very  civil  and  obliging?  I  do  not 
know,  (said  I,)  for  his  discourse  has  put  me  out  of  my  wits; 
that  I  know  that  he  saluted  me  with  respect  and  civility,  but 
he  has  left  me  abruptly.  Well,  (said  Mary,)  you  do  not  know 
him;  he  is  the  most  obliging  man  in  the  world,  if  people  are 
civil  with  him,  and  if  not,  he  is  as  unmerciful  as  Nero;  and  so 
for  your  own  preservation,  take  care  to  oblige  him  in  all  res- 
pects; now^,  pray  go  to  supper,  and  be  easy.  I  was  so  much 
troubled  in  mind  with  the  thoughts  of  the  dry  pan  and  gradual 
fire,  that  I  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep  that  night.  Early  in 
the  morning  Mary  got  up,  and  told  me,  that  nobody  was  yet 
up  in  the  house,  and  that  she  would  show  me  the  dry  pan  and 
gradual  fire,  on  condition,  that  I  should  keep  it  a  secret  for  her 
sake,  and  my  own  too;  which  I  having  promised  her,  she  took 
me  along  with  her  and  showed  me  a  dark  room  with  a  thick 
iron  door,  and  within  it  an  oven,  and  a  large  brass  pan  upon 
it,  with  a  cover  of  the  same,  and  a  lock  to  it;  the  oven  was 
burning  at  that  time,  and  I  asked  Mary  for  what  use  the  pan 
was  there?  And  she,  without  giving  me  any  answer,  took  me 
by  the  hand,  out  of  that  place,  and  carried  me  into  a  large  room, 
where  she  showed  me  a  thick  wheel,  covered  on  both  sides 
with  thick  boards,  and  opening  a  little  window,  in  the  centre 
of  it,  desired  me  to  look  with  a  candle  on  the  inside  of  it,  and 
I  saw  all  the  circumference  of  the  wheel  set  with  sharp  razors. 
After  that  she  showed  me  a  pit  full  of  serpents  and  toads.  Then 
she  said  to  me.  Now,  my  good  mistress,  I'll  tell  you  the  use  of 
these  three  things.    The  dry  pan  and  gradurj  fire  are  for  her- 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  181 

etics,  and  those  iKU  oppose  the  holy  flither's  will  and  pleasure 
for  they  are  [)nt  a)  I  naked  and  alive  into  the  pan.  and  the  cover 
of  t  being  locked  up,  the  executioner  begins  to  put  in  the  oven 
a  small  fire,  and  by  degrees  he  augmentcth  it  lill  the  body  is 
burnt  to  ashes.  The  second  is  designed  f  jr  those  that  speak 
against  the  pope,  and  the  holy  fathers;  and  they  are  put  with- 
in the  wheel,  and  the  door  being  locked,  the  executioner  turns 
the  v/heel  till  the  person  is  dead.  And  the  third  is  for  those 
tliat  contemn  the  images,  and  refuse  to  give  the  due  respec 
and  veneration  to  ecclesiastical  persons,  for  they  are  thrown 
into  the  pit,  and  there  they  become  the  food  of  serpents  and 
toads. 

Then  Mary  said  to  me,  that  another  day  she  would  shew 
mc  torments  for  public  sinners,  and  transgressors  of  the  five 
commandments  of  our  holy  mother  the  church;  so  I,  in  a  deep 
amazement,  desired  Mary  to  shew  me  no  more  places,  for  the 
very  thoughts  of  those  three,  which  I  had  seen,  were  enough 
to  terrify  me  to  the  heart.  So  we  went  to  my  room,  and  she 
charged  me  again  to  be  very  obedient  to  all  the  commands  Don 
Francisco  should  give  mc,  or  to  be  assured,  if  I  did  not,  I  was 
to  undergo  the  torment  of  the  dry  pan.  Indeed  I  conceived 
such  an  horror  for  the  gradual  fire,  that  I  was  not  mistress  of 
my  senses,  nay,  nor  of  my  thoughts :  so  I  told  Mary  that  I 
would  follow  her  advice.  If  you  are  in  that  disposition  (said 
she)  leave  off  all  fears  and  apprehensions,  and  expect  nothing 
but  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  and  all  manner  of  recreation, 
and  you  shall  begin  to  experience  some  of  these  things  this 
very  day.  Now  let  me  dress  you,  for  you  must  go  to  wish  a 
good  morrow  to  Don  Francisco,  and  to  breakfast  with  him.  I 
thought  really  this  w^as  a  great  honor  to  me,  and  some  comfort 
to  my  troubled  mind ;  so  I  made  all  the  haste  I  could,  and  Ma- 
ry conveyed  me  through  a  gallery  into  Don  Francisco's  apart- 
ment. He  was  still  in  bed,  and  desired  me  to  sit  down  by 
him,  and  ordered  Mary  to  bring  the  chocolate  two  hours  after, 
and  with  this  she  left  me  alone  with  Don  Francisco.  Mary 
came  with  the  chocolate,  and  kneeling  down,  paid  me  homage 
as  if  I  was  a  queen ;  and  served  me  first  with  a  cup  of  choco- 
late, still  on  her  knees  and  bade  me  give  another  cup  to  Don 
Francisco  myself,  which  he  received  mighty  graciously,  and 
having  drunk  up  the  chocolate,  she  went  out.  So  at  ten  of  the 
clock,  Mary  came  again,  and  dressing  me,  she  desired  me  to 
go  along  with  her,  and  leaving  Don  Francisco  in  bed,  she  cl:- 
ried  me  into  another  chamber  very  delightfid,  and  better  uir 
nished  than  the  first;  for  the  windows  of  it  were  lower,  and! 
Q 


182  MASTER-KEY    TO   POrERY. 

had  thfe  pleasure  of  seeing  the  river  and  the  garder«5  On  the 
other  side  out  of  it.  Then  Mary  told  me,  Madam,  the  young 
ladies  of  this  house  will  come  before  dinner  to  welcome  you, 
and  make  themse'ves  happy  in  the  honor  of  your  company, 
and  I  will  take  you  to  dine  with  them.  Pray  remember  the  ad- 
vices I  have  given  you  alread}^,  and  do  not  make  yourself  un- 
happy by  asking  useless  questions.  She  had  not  finished  these 
words,  when  I  saw  entering  my  apartment,  (which  consisted 
of  a  large  anti-chamber  and  a  bed-chamber  with  two  lar<ie 
closets)  a  troop  of  young  beautiful  ladies,  finely  dressed,  who 
all,  one  after  another,  came  to  embrace  me,  and  to  wish  mo 
joy.  My  senses  were  in  a  perfect  suspension,  and  I  could  not 
speak  a  word,  nor  answer  their  kind  compliments.  But  one 
of  them  seeing  me  so  silent,  said  to  me.  Madam,  the  solitude 
of  this  place  w  ill  affect  you  in  the  beginning,  but  when  you 
begin  to  be  in  our  company,  and  feel  the  pleasure  of  our 
amusements  and  recreations,  you  will  quit  your  pensive 
thoughts.  Now  we  beg  of  you  the  honor  to  come  and  dine 
with  us  to-day,  and  henceforth  three  days  in  a  week.  I  thanked 
tliem,  and  we  went  to  dinner.  That  day  we  had  all  sorts  of 
exquisite  meats,  and  were  served  with  delicate  fruits  and 
sweet-meats.  The  room  was  very  long,  with  two  tablfes  on 
each  side,  another  at  the  front  of  it,  and  I  reckoned  in  it  that 
day,  52  young  ladies,  the  oldest  of  them  not  exceeding  24 
years  of  age;  six  maids  served  the  whole  number  of  us,  but 
my  Mary  waited  on  me  alone  at  dinner.  After  dinner  we 
went  up  stairs  into  a  long  gallery,  all  round  about  with  lattice 
windows ;  where,  somf  of  us  playing  on  instruments  of  music, 
others  playing  at  cards,  and  others  walking  about,  we  spent 
<hree  hours  together.  At  last,  Mary  came  up,  ringing  a  small 
bell,  which  was  the  signal  to  retire  into  our  rooms,  as  they 
told  me ;  but  Mary  said  to  the  whole  company.  Ladies,  to-day 
is  a  day  of  recreation,  so  you  may  go  into  what  room  you 
please,  until  eight  o'clock,  and  then  you  are  to  go  into  your 
own  chambers:  so  they  all  desired  leave  to  go  with  me  to  my 
apartment,  to  spend  the  time  there,  and  1  v/as  very  glad  that 
they  preferred  my  chamber  to  another;  so  all  going  down  to- 
gether, we  found  in  my  anti-chamber  a  table,  with  all  sorts  of 
gweet-meais  upon  it,  iced  cinnamon  water,  and  almonds  milk, 
and  the  like,  every  one  ate  and  drank,  but  nobody  spoke  a 
word,  touching  the  sumotuousnefs  of  the  table,  nor  mentioned 
iinj  thing  concerning  the  inquisition  of  the  noly  fathers.  So 
We  spent  our  time  in  merry,  indifferent  conversation,  till  eight 
cclock      Then  every  one  retired  into  their  own  room,  and 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  183 

Mary  told  me  that  Don  Francisco  did  wait  for  me,  so  we  went 

to  his  apartment,  and  supper  being  ready,  we  both  alone  sat  at 
table,  attended  by  my  maid  only.  After  supper  JMary  went 
away,  and  next  morning  she  served  us  with  chocolate,  which 
we  drank,  and  then  slept  till  ten  o'clock.  Then  we  got  up, 
and  my  waiting  maid  carried  me  into  my  chamber,  ^vhere  I 
found  ready,  two  suits  of  clothes,  of  a  rich  brocade,  and  every 
thing  else,  suitable  to  a  lady  of  the  first  rank.  I  put  on  one, 
and  when  1  was  quite  dressed,  the  young  ladies  came  to  wish 
me  a  good  morrow,  all  dressed  in  different  clothes,  and  better 
tlian  the  day  before,  and  we  spent  the  second  and  third  days  in 
the  same  recreation.  But  the  third  morning  after  drinking 
chocolate,  as  the  custom  was,  Mary  told  me,  that  a  lady  was 
waiting  for  me  in  the  other  room,  and  desired  me  to  get  up, 
with  a  haughty  look.  I  thought  that  it  was  to  give  me  some 
new  comfort  and  diversion;  but  I  was  very  much  mistaken,  for 
Mary  conveyed  me  into  a  young  lady's  room,  not  eight  feet 
long,  which  was  a  perfect  prison,  and  there,  before  the  lady, 
told  me.  Madam,  this  is  your  room,  and  this  young  lady  your 
bedfellow  and  comrade,  and  left  me  there  with  this  unkind 
command.  O  heavens!  thought  I,  what  is  this  that  has  hap- 
pened to  me?  I  fancied  myself  out  of  grief,  and  I  perceived 
now  the  beginning  of  my  vexation.  What  is  this,  dear  lady, 
(said  I)  is  this  an  enchanted  palace,  or  a  hell  upon  earth?  I 
have  lost  father  and  mother,  and  what  is  worse,  I  have  lost  my 
honor  and  my  soul  forever.  My  new  companion,  seeing  me 
like  a  mad  woman,  took  me  by  the  hands,  and  said  to  mc. 
Dear  sister,  (for  this  is  the  name  I  will  give  you  henceforth) 
leave  off  your  crying,  leave  off  your  grief  and  vexation  for 
you  can  do  nothing  by  such  extravagant  complaints,  but  heap 
coals  of  fire  on  your  head,  or  rather  under  your  body.  Your 
misfortunes  and  ours  are  exactly  of  a  piece :  you  suffer  noth- 
ing that  we  have  not  suffered  before  you ;  but  we  are  not  al- 
lowed to  show  our  grief,  for  fear  of  greater  evils.  Pray,  take 
good  courage,  and  hope  in  God;  for  he  will  find  some  way  or 
othei  to  deliver  us  out  of  this  hellish  place ;  but  above  all  things, 
take  care  not  to  shew  any  uneasiness  before  Mary,  who  is  the 
only  instrument  of  our  torments,  or  comfort,  and  have  patience 
jll  we  go  to  bed,  and  then  without  any  fear,  I  will  tell  you 
more  of  the  matter."  We  do  not  dine  with  the  other  ladies  to- 
dav,  and  may  be,  we  shall  have  an  opportunity  of  ta'king  be- 
fore night,  which  I  hope  will  be  of  some  comfort  to  you.  1  was 
in  a  most  desperate  condition,  but  my  new  sister  Leonora 
(this  was  her  name)  prevaded  so  much  upon  me,  that  I  over* 


j84  JLVSTER-KEY   TO    POPERY. 

came  my  vexation  before  Mary  came  again,  to  bring  our  din 
ner,  whic-i  was  very  different  from  that  I  had  three  days  be- 
fore.    After  dinner,  another  maid  came  to  take  away  the  plat- 
ter and  knife,  for  we  had  but  one  for  us  both,  so  locked  the 
door. 

Now,  my  sister,  said  she,  we  need  not  fear  being  disturbed 
all  this  night:  so  I  may  safely  instruct  you,  if  you  will  prom- 
ise m3,  upon  the  hopes  of  salvation,  not  to  reveal  the  secret, 
while  you  are  in  this  place,  of  the  things  I  shall  tell  you.  1 
threw  myself  down  at  her  feet,  and  promised  secrecy.  Ther 
she  begun  to  say:  My  dear  sister,  you  think  it  a  hard  case 
that  has  happened  to  you ,  T  assure  you  all  the  ladies  in  this 
house  have  already  gone  through  the  same,  and  in  time  you 
shall  know  all  their  stories,  as  they  hope  to  know  yours.  I 
suppose  that  Mary  has  been  the  chief  instrument  of  your 
fright,  as  she  has  been  of  ours,  and  I  warrant  you  she  has 
shown  to  you  some  horrible  places,  though  not  all,  and  that  at 
the  only  thought  of  them,  you  were  so  much  troubled  in  your 
mind,  that  you  have  chosen  the  same  way  we  did  to  get  some 
ease  in  our  heart.  By  what  has  happened  to  us,  we  know 
that  Don  Francisco  has  been  your  Nero;  for  the  three  colors 
of  our  clothes  are  the  distinguishing  tokens  of  the  three  holy 
fathers:  The  red  silk  belongs  to  Francisco,  the  blue  to  Guer- 
rero, and  the  green  to  Aliaga.  For  they  used  to  give,  the 
three  first  days,  these  colors  to  those  ladies  that  they  bring  for 
their  use.  We  are  strictly  commanded  to  make  all  demonstra- 
tions of  joy,  and  to  be  very  merr;/  three  days,  when  a  young 
lady  comes  here,  as  we  did  wdth  you,  and  you  must  do  wilh 
©the  s.  But  after  it  we  live  like  prisoners,  without  seeing  any 
living  sou]  but  the  six  maids,  and  Mary,  who  is  the  house-keep- 
er. We  dine  all  of  us,  in  the  hall,  three  days  a  week,  and 
three  days  in  our  rooms.  When  any  of  the  holy  fathers  have 
a  mind  for  one  of  his  slaves,  Mary  comes  for  her  at  nine  of 
the  clock,  and  conveyeth  her  to  his  apartment:  but  as  they 
have  so  many,  tlie  turn  comes,  may-be  once  in  a  month,  ex- 
cept fjr  those  who  have  the  honor  to  give  them  more  satisfac- 
tion than  ordinary,  those  are  sent  for  often.  Some  nights  Ma- 
ry leaves  the  door  of  our  rooms  open,  and  that  is  a  sign  that 
some  of  the  fathers  have  a  mind  to  come  that  night,  but  he 
comes  in  so  silent  that  we  do  not  know  whether  he  is  our  own 
patron  or  not.  If  one  of  us  happen  to  be  with  child,  she  is  re- 
moved to  a  better  chamber,  and  she  sees  no  person  but  the 
mnjd  till  she  is  deavered.  The  child  is  s^nt  away,  and  we  do 
not  knov/  where  it  is  gone.     Mary  does  not  suffer  quarrels 


5LA.STER-KEY  TO  POPEHT.  185 

between  u?,  f^r  if  one  happens  to  be  troublesome  she  is  bit- 
terly chastised  for  it:  JSo  we  a^e  always  under  a  continual 
fear.  I  ha^e  been  in  this  house  these  six  }  ears,  and  I  v/as 
not  fourteen  j^ears  of  age,  when  the  oflicers  took  me  from  my 
father's  house,  and  I  have  been  brought  to  bed  but  once.  We 
are  at  present  fifty-two  young  ladies,  and  we  loose  every  year 
six  or  eight,  but  we  do  not  know,  where  they  are  sent;  but  a* 
the  same  time  we  get  new  ones,  and  sometimes  I  have  seen 
here  seventy-three  ladies.  All  our  continual  torment  is  to 
think,  and  with  great  reason,  that  when  the  holy  fathers  are 
tired  of  one,  they  put  her  to  death;  for  thev  will  never  run 
the  hazard  of  being  discovered  in  these  misdemeanors:  So, 
though  we  cannot  oppose  their  commands,  and  therefore  we 
commit  these  enormities,  yet  we  still  fervently  pray  God  and 
blessed  mother,  to  forgive  us  them,  since  it  is  against  our  wills 
we  do  them,  and  to  preserve  us  from  death  in  this  house.  So 
my  dear  sister,  arm  yourself  with  patience,  and  put  your  trust 
in  God,  who  will  be  our  only  defender  and  deliverer. 

This  discourse  of  Leonora  did  ease  me  in  some  measure,  and 
I  found  every  thing  as  she  had  told  me.  And  so  we  lived  to- 
gether eighteen  months,  in  which  time  we  lost  eleven  ladies, 
and  we  got  nineteen  new  ones.  I  knew  all  their  stories,  which 
I  cannot  tell  you  to  night,  but  if  you  Vvill  be  so  kind  as  to  stay 
here  this  week,  you  will  not  think  your  time  lost  when  you 
come  to  know  them  all.  I  did  promise  her  to  stay  that  week, 
with  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  and  satisfaction;  but  though  it 
was  very  late,  and  the  people  of  the  house  were  retired,  I  be"-- 
ged  her  to  make  an  end  of  the  story  concerning  herself, 
which  she  did  in  the  following  manner: 

After  the  eighteen  months,  one  night,  Mary  came  and  or- 
dered us  to  follow  her,  and  going  down  stairs,  she  bade  us  go 
into  a  coach,  and  this  we  thought  the  last  day  of  our  lives 
We  went  out  of  the  house,  but  where,  we  did  not  know,  and 
were  put  into  another  house,  which  was  worse  than  the  first 
where  we  were  confined  several  months,  without  seeing  any  of 
the  Inquisitors,  or  Mary,  or  any  of  our  companions :  And  in  the 
same  manner  we  w-ere  removed  from  that  house  to  another, 
v/here  we  continued  till  w^e  were  miraculously  delivered  by 
the  French  ofiicers.  Mr.  Fauicaut,  happily  for  me,  did  open 
the  door  of  my  room,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  me,  he  began  to 
show  me  much  civility,  and  took  me  and  Leonora  along  witi 
him  to  his  lodgings,  and  after  he  heard  my  whole  story,  and 
fearing  that  things  would  turn  to  our  disadvantage,  he  ordered 
the  next  daj  to  send  us  to  his  father.     We  were  drest  in  men's 

(i2 


186  JMASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

clothes,  to  go  the  more  safely,  and  so  we  came  to  this  house, 
where  I  was  kept  for  two  years  as  the  daughter  of  the  old  man, 
till  Mr.  FaulcauL''s  regiment  being  broke,  he  came  home,  and 
two  months  after,  married  me.  Leonora  was  married  to  an- 
other ofticer,  and  they  live  in  Orleans,  which  being  in  your  way 
to  Paris,  I  do  not  question  but  you  will  pay  her  a  visit.  Now 
my  husband  is  at  court,  solicithig  a  new  commission,  and  he 
will  be  very  glad  of  your  acquaintance,  if  he  has  not  left  Pa- 
ris before  you  go  to  it.  Thus  ended  our  first  entertainment 
the  first  night. 

I  stayed  there  afterwards  twelve  days,  in  which  she  told  me 
the  stories  of  all  the  young  ladies,  which  Leonora  did  repeat  to 
me  without  any  alteration,  as  to  the  substantial  points  of  them. 
But  these  diverting  accounts,  containing  more  particular  cir- 
cumstances touching  the  horrible  procedure  of  the  tribunal, 
but  more  especially,  being  full  of  amorous  intrigues,  I  think  fit 
not  to  insert  them  here,  but  to  give  them  in  a  separate  book,  to 
the  public  if  desired;  for  as  I  have  many  other  things  to  say 
touching  the  corruptions  of  the  Romish  priests,  these  accounts 
may  be  inserted  there,  to  shew  the  ill  practices  and  corrup- 
tions of  the  inquisitors.  So  I  proceed  to  speak  of  the  new  quar- 
ters of  the  French  troops  in  the  inquisition,  and  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  holy  fathers  into  it,  and  afterwards  I  will  go  on  with 
the  instances  of  the  public  trials. 

When  the  Marquis  de  Taurcey  was  chosen  Governor  of  the 
fort  of  Aljaferia,  where  formerly  the  holy  office  was  kept,  he 
put  a  strong  garrison  into  it;  the  holy  fathers  were  obliged  to 
remove,  and  take  away  their  prisoners;  but  they  did  wall  all 
the  doors  of  their  secret  prisons,  where  they  used  to  keep  the 
hellish  engines,  so  we  could  not  then  knew  any  thing  of  their 
barbarity  in  the  punishment  of  innocents,  and  I  think,  that  as 
they  did  consider  themselves  as  unsettled,  and  being  in  hopes 
to  recover  again  the  former  place,  they  did  not  remove  their 
inhuman  instruments  of  torment,  so  there  were  none  found  in 
the  last  house  when  they  were  turned  out:  nay,  amcjng  so 
great  a  number  of  prisoners  delivered  out  of  it,  we  could  con- 
verse with  none  of  them,  for  as  soon  as  they  got  out,  for  fear 
of  a  new  order  from  the  king  or  pope,  they  made  their  escape 
out  of  the  country,  and  they  were  much  in  the  right  of  it,  for 
the  inquisition  is  a  place  to  be  very  much  feared,  and  not  to 
be  tried  a  second  time,  if  one  can  help  it. 

At  last,  after  eight  months  reprieve,  the  same  inquisitors 
came  again  witk  more  power  than  before,  for  Don  Pedro  Guer- 
rero, first  Inquisitor,  was  chosen  by  the  Pope,  at  King  Phihp'a 


3LVSTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  187 

request,  ecclesiastical  judge,  for  priests,  friars,  and  nuns,  to 
examine  and  punish  crimes  of  disaffection  to  his  majesty:  So, 
for  a  M'hile,  ne  was  Pope,  King,  and  Tyrant.  The  first  thing 
he  chd  was  to  give  the  puljlic  an  account  of  the  crimes  for 
which  all  the  prisoners  that  had  been  delivered,  were  contined 
in  tiie  inquisition,  to  vindicate  this  way  the  honor  of  the  three 
Inquisitors,  commanding  at  the  same  time,  all  sorts  of  ])ersons 
to  discover  and  secure  any  of  the  said  prisoners,  under  pain  of 
death.  This  proclamation  was  a  thing  never  l)ef()re  heard  of 
and  we  may  say,  that  s-atlsf actio  non  pctita,  general  sm^picion- 
em:  for  really,  by  this,  they  did  declare  themselves  guilty  of 
what  was  charged  on  them,  in  relation  to  the  Seraglio,  in  the 
opinion  of  serious,  sensible  people.  But  every  body  was  ter- 
rified by  the  said  proclamation,  and  none  dared  to  say  any 
thing  about  it. 

The  unmerciful  Guerrero,  like  a  roaring  lion,  began  to  de- 
vour all  sorts  of  people,  showing,  by  this,  his  great  affection 
to  the  king,  and  fervent  zeal  for  the  pope ;  for,  under  pretence 
of  their  being  disaffected  to  his  majesty,  he  confined,  and  that 
publicly,  near  three  hundred  friars,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
priests,  and  a  great  number  of  the  laity.  Next  to  this,  he 
made  himself  master  of  their  estates,  which  were  sold  publicly, 
being  bought  by  the  good  loyal  subjects.  He  did  suspend,  ah 
officio  et  bcneficio,  many  secular  priests,  and  banished  them 
out  of  the  dominions  of  Spain;  whipt  others  publicly,  banished 
and  whipt  friars,  and  took  the  liberty  insolently  to  go  into 
the  monastery  of  the  nuns  of  St.  Lucia,  and  whipt  six  of  them 
for  being  affected  to  Charles  the  Hid,  and  he  imprisoned  Don- 
na Catherina  Cavero,  only  for  being  the  head  of  tk®  imperial 
faction.  But  observe,  that  this  whipping  of  the  nuns  is  only 
giving  them  a  discipline,  i.  e.  so  many  strokes  with  a  rod  on 
the  shoulders;  but  Guerrero  was  so  impudent  and  barefaced 
a  Nero,  that  commanding  the  poor  nuns  to  turn  their  habits 
backwards,  and  discover  their  shoulders,  he  himself  was  the 
executioner  of  this  unparalleled  punishment. 

As  to  the  laity  that  were  put  into  the  inquisition,  and  whose 
estates  were  seized,  we  did  not  hear  any  thing  of  them,  but  I 
am  sure  they  did  end  their  miserable  lives  in  that  horrid  place. 
Many  of  them  left  a  great  family  behind  them,  who  all  were 
reduced  to  beggary;  for  when  the  heads  of  them  were  confi- 
ned, all  the  families  must  suffer  with  them:  And  this  is  the 
reason,  why  more  than  two  thousand  families  left  the  city, 
and  every  thing  they  had,  rather  than  undergo  the  miseries  of 
that  lime,  and  the  cruel  persecution  of  Guerrero.     So  we  may 


188  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

believe,  that  having  so  great  auchority  as  he  had,  he   soon 
could  recruit  his  Seraglio. 

Though  Guerrero  was  so  busy  in  the  affairs  of  the  king,  he 
did  not  forget  liio  other  business  concerning  the  catholic  faith; 
so,  to  make  the  people  sensible  of  his  indefatigable  zeal,  he 
began  again  to  summons  priests  and  friars  to  new  trials,  of 
which  I  am  going  to  speak. 

The  trial  of  a  Friar   of  St.  Jerome,  organist  of  the  convent 
in  Saragofisa. 

All  the  summoned  persons  being  together  in  the  hall,  the 
prisoner  and  a  young  boy  were  brought  out;  and  after  the  first 
inquisitor  had  finished  his  bitter  correction,  the  secretary  read 
the  examinations  and  sentence,  as  follows : 

Whereas,  informations  were  made,  and  by  evidences  prov 
ed,  that  Fr.  Joseph  Peralta  has  committed  the  crime  of  Sodomy, 
with  the  present  John  Romeo,  his  disciple,  which  the  said 
Romeo  himself,  owned  upon  interrogatories  of  the  holy  in- 
quisitors: they  having  an  unfeigned  regard  for  the  order  of 
St.  Jerome,  do  declare  and  condemn  the  said  Fr.  Joseph 
Peralta,  to  a  year's  confinement  in  his  own  convent,  but 
that  he  may  assist  at  tlie  divine  service,  and  celebrate  mass. 
Item,  for  an  example  to  other  like  sinners,  the  holy  fathers 
declare  that  the  said  John  is  to  be  whipped  through  the  pub- 
lic streets  of  the  town,  and  receive  at  ever}'-  corner,  as  it  is  a 
custom,  five  lashes;  and  that  he  shall  wear  a  coroza,  i.  e.  a 
sort  of  a  mitre  on  his  head,  feathered  all  over,  as  a  mark  of 
his  crime.  Which  sentence  is  to  be  executed  on  Friilay 
next,  without  any  appeal. 

After  the  secretary  had  done,  Don  Pedro  Guerrero  did  ask 
Fr.  Joseph,  whether  he  had  any  thing  to  say  against  the  sen- 
tence or  not?  And  he  answering,  no,  the  })risoners  were  car- 
ried back  to  their  prisons,  and  the  company  were  dismissed. 
Observe  the  equity  of  the  inquisitors  in  tliis  case :  the  boy  was 
but  fourteen  years  of  age,  under  the  power  of  Fr.  Joseph,  and 
he  was  charged  with  the  penalty  and  punishment  Fr.  Jose|)h 
did  deserve.  The  poor  boy  was  whipped  according  to  the 
sentence,  and  died  the  next  day. 

The  Trial  of  Father  Pueyo,  Confessor  of  tlie  Nuns  at  St, 
Munica. 

This  criminal  had  been  but  six  days  in  the  inquisition,  be- 
fore he  was  brought  to  hear  his  sentence,  and  every  thing  be- 
ing {/erformed  as  before,  the  secretary  read. 


1VLA.STER-KEY    TC     POPERY  189 

Whereas  father  Pueyo  has  committed  fornication  vith  five 
spiritual  daughters,  (so  the  nuns  which  confess  to  the  same 
confessor  conlinually,  are  called)  which  is,  heside* fornication, 
sacrilege  and  transgression  of  our  commands,  and  he  himself 
having  owned  the  fact,  we  therefore  declare  that  he  shall  keep 
his  cell  fjr  three  weeks,  and  lose  his  employment,  &lc. 

The  inquisitor  asked  him  whether  he  had  any  thing  to  say 
against  it:  and  father  Pueyo  said,  holy  fatlier,  I  remember 
that  when  I  was  chosen  father  confessor  of  the  nuns  of  our 
nioiher  Si.  Monica,  you  had  a  great  value  for  five  young  ladies 
of  the  monastery,  and  you  sent  for  me,  and  begged  of  me  to 
take  care  of  them:  so  1  have  done,  as  a  faithful  servant,  and 
may  say  unto  you,  Domine  quinque  talenta  tradidisti  me,  ecce 
alia  quinque  super  lucratus  sum.  The  inquisitors  could  not 
forbear  laughing  at  this  application  of  the  scripture;  and  Don 
Pedro  Guerrero  yyis  so  well  pleased  with  this  answer,  that 
he  told  him,  you  said  well:  Therefore,  Peccata  tua  remittuji' 
tur  tibi,  nunc  vade  in  pace,  et  noli  amplius  peccare.  This  was 
a  pleasant  trial,  and  Pueyo  was  excused  from  the  performance 
of  his  penance  by  this  impious  jest. 

The  trial  and  sentence  of  the  Licentiate  Lizondo. 

The  secretary  read  the  examinations,  evidence  and  convi^ 
tions,  and  the  said  Lizondo  (who  was  a  licentiate,  or  Master  o 
Ar's)  himself  did  own  the  fact,  which  was  as  follows: 

The  said  Lizondo,  though  an  ingenious  man,  and  fit  for  the 
sacerdotal  function,  would  not  be  ordained,  giving  out  that  he 
thought  himself  unworthy  of  so  high  dignity, as  to  have  every 
day  the  Saviour  of  the  world  in  his  hands,  after  the  consecra- 
tion. And  by  this  feigned  humility  he  began  to  insinuate 
himself  into  the  people's  opinion,  and  pass  for  a  religious,  god- 
ly man,  among  them.  He  studied  physic,  and  practised  it  only 
with  the  poor,  in  the  beginning;  but  being  called  afterwards 
by  the  rich  and  especially  by  the  Nuns,  at  last  he  was  found 
out  in  his  wickedness;  for  he  used  to  give  something  to  make 
the  young  ladies  sleep,  and  this  way  he  obtained  his  lascivioua 
desires.  But  one  of  the  evidences  swore  that  he  had  done 
these  things  by  the  help  of  magic,  and  that  he  had  used  only 
an  incantation,  with  v/hich  he  made  every  body  fall  asleep : — 
But  this  he  absolutely  denied,  as  an  imposition  and  falsity. — 
We  did  expect  a  severe  sentence,  but  it  was  only  that  the  li- 
centiate was  to  discover  to  the  inquisitors,  on  a  day  appointed 
by  them,  the  receipt  for  making  the  people  sleep;  and  that  the 
punishment  to  be   inflicted  on  him,  was  to  be  referred  to   the 


190  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

discretion  of  the  holy  fathers.  We  saw  him  afterwards  every 
day,  walking  in  the  streets;  and  this  was  all  his  punishment 
We  must  surely  believe  that  such  crimes  are  reckoned  but  a 
trifle  among  them,  for  very  seldom  they  show  any  great  dis- 
pleasure or  severity  to  those  that  are  found  guilty  of  them. 

Of  -lie  Order  of  the  Inquisitors  to  arrest  an  Horse,  and  to  bring 
him  to  the  Holy  Office. 
The  case  well  deserves  my  trouble  in  giving  a  full  account 
of  it;  so  I  will  explain  it  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  The 
rector  of  the  university  of  Saragossa  has  his  own  officers  to  ar 
rest  the  scholars,  and  punish  them  if  they  commit  any  crime. 
Among  their  officers  there  was  one  called  Guadalaxara,  who 
was  mighty  officious  and  troublesome  to  the  collegians  or  stu 
dents;  for  upon  the  least  thing  in  the  world  he  arrested  them 
The  scholars  did  not  love  him  at  all,  and  contrived  how  they 
should  punish  him,  or  to  play  some  comical  tricks  upon  him. 
At  last,  some  of  the  strongest  agreed  to  be  at  the  bottom  of  the 
steeple  of  the  university  in  the  evening,  and  six  of  them  in  the 
belfry,  who  were  to  let  down  a  lusty  young  scholar,  tied  with 
a  strong  rope,  at  the  hearing  of  the  word  war.  So  the  schol- 
ars that  were  in  the  yard,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  steeple,. 
picked  a  quarrel  purposely  to  bring  Guadalaxara  there,  and 
when  he  was  already  among  them,  arresting  one,  they  cried 
out  war.  At  which  sign  the  six  in  the  steeple  let  down  the 
tied  scholar,  who  taking  in  his  arms  Guadalaxara,  and  being 
pulled  up  by  the  six,  he  carried  him  almost  20  feet  high,  and 
let  him  fall  dow'n.  The  poor  man  was  crying  out,  O  Jesus', 
the  Devil  has  taken  me  up.  The  students  tiiat  were  at  the 
bottom  had  instruments  of  music,  and  put  off  their  cloaks  to 
receive  him  in,  and  as  he  cried  out,  the  Devil,  the  Devil,  the 
musicians  answered  him  with  the  instruments,  repeating  the 
same  words  he  pronounced  himself,  and  with  this,  gathering 
together  great  numbers  of  scholars,  they  took  him  in  the  mid- 
dle, continuing  always  the  music  and  songs,  to  prevent,  by  this_, 
the  people's  taking  notice  of  it,  and  every  body  believed  that  i« 
w  as  only  a  mere  scholastic  diversion :  So,  with  this  melody 
and  rejoicings,  they  carried  the  troublesome  Guadalaxara  out 
of  the  gates  of  the  city  into  the  field,  called  the  Burnt  Place^ 
because  formerly  the  heretics  were  burnt  in  that  field.  There 
was  a  dead  horse,  and  opening  his  belly,  they  tied  the  poor 
officer  by  the  hands  and  legs,  and  placed  him  within  the  horse's 
belly,  which  they  sewed,  leaving  the  head  of  Guadalaxara 
ouf,  under  the   tail  of  the  horse,  and  so  thev  went  back  into 


MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  191 

the  city.  How  dismal  that  night  was  to  the  poor  man,  any 
body  may  imagine;  but  yet  it  was  very  sweet  to  him,  in  com- 
parison to  what  he  suffered  in  the  morning ;  for  the  dogs  going 
to  eat  of  the  dead  horse's  flesh,  he,  for  fear  they  should  eat  off 
his  head,  continually  cried  out,  ho!  ho\ pcri'os,  i.  e.  dogs,  and 
that  day  he  found  that  not  only  the  scholars,  but  even  the  very 
dogs  were  afraid  of  him,  for  dogs  did  not  dare  approach  the 
dead  horse.  The  laborers  of  the  city,  who  were  a  most  igno- 
rant sort  of  people,  but  very  pleasant  in  their  rustic  expres- 
sions, going  out  to  the  field,  by  break  of  the  day,  saw  the  dogs 
near  the  horse,  and  heard  the  voice,  ho!  ho! perron.  They 
looked  up  and  down,  and  seeing  nobody,  drew  near  the  horse, 
and  hearing  the  same  voice,  frightened  out  of  their  senses, 
went  into  the  city  again,  and  gave  out  that  a  dead  horse  was 
speaking  in  the  burnt  field;  and  as  they  affirmed  and  swore 
the  thing  to  be  true,  crowds  of  people  went  to  see  and  hear 
the  wonder,  or,  as  many  others  said,  the  miracle  of  a  dead 
horse  speaking.  A  public  notary  was  among  the  mob,  but  no 
one  dared  to  go  near  the  horse.  The  notary  went  to  the  in- 
quisitors to  make  affidavit  of  this  case,  and  added  that  no  one 
having  courage  enough  to  approach  the  horse,  it  was  proper 
to  send  some  of  the  friars,  with  holy  water  and  stola,  to  exorcise 
the  horse,  and  find  out  the  cause  of  his  speaking.  But  the 
inquisitors  who  think  to  command  beasts,  as  well  as  reasonable 
creatures,  sent  six  of  their  officers,  with  strict  orders,  to  carry 
the  horse  to  the  holy  office.  The  officers  having  an  o])inioi: 
that  the  devil  must  submit  to  them,  Avent,  and  approaching  the 
horse,  they  saw  the  head  under  ihe  tail,  and  the  poor  man  cry- 
ing out,  help,  take  me  out  of  this  putrified  grave;  for  God's 
sake,  good  people,  make  haste,  for  I  am  not  the  devil,  nor  ghost, 
nor  apparition,  but  the  real  bo  ly  and  soul  of  Guadalaxara, 
tlie  constable  of  the  universit\  ;  and  I  do  renounce,  in  this  place, 
the  office  of  arresting  scholars  forever;  and  I  do  forgive  them 
this  wrong  done  to  me,  and  thanks  be  to  God,  and  to  the  Vir- 
gin of  Pilar,  who  has  preserved  my  body  from  being  convert- 
ed into  a  dead  horse,  that  I  am  alive  still. 

These  plain  demonstrations  of  the  nature  of  the  thing  did  not 
convmce,  in  the  least,  the  officers  of  the  inquisition,  who  are 
alwa^-^s  very  strict  in  the  performance  of  the  orders  given 
them,  so  they  took  the  dead  horse  and  carried  it  to  the  inqui 
sition  Never  were  more  people  seen  in  the  streets  and  win 
«lo\vs  tha.n  on  that  day,  besides  the  great  crowd  that  followed 
the  corpse,  which  I  saw  myself;  the  inquisitors  having  notice 
beforehand,  went  to  the  hall  to  receive  the  informations  from 


192  ]\IASTER-KEY  TO  POPEEY, 

the  horse;  and  after  they  had  asked  him  many  questions,  the 
poor  man  pushed  up  the  tail  with  his  nose  to  speak,  to  see,  and 
to  be  seen,  still  answering  them  j  the  wise  holy  fathers  trust- 
ing not  to  his  information,  gave  orders  to  the  officers  to  carry 
the  speaking  horse  to  the  torture,  which  being  done  according- 
ly, as  they  began  to  turn  the  ropes  through  the  horse's  belly, 
at  the  third  turning  of  them  the  skin  of  the  belly  broke,  and 
the  real  body  of  Guadalaxara  appeared  in  all  his  dimensions, 
and  by  the  horse's  torture,  he  saved  his  life.  The  poor  man 
died  three  weeks  after,  and  he  forgave  the  scholars  who  con- 
trived this  mischief,  and  an  elegy  was  made  on  his  death. 

Thesis  defended  hy  F.  James  Garcia,  in  the  hall  of  the 
Inquisition. 

The  case  of  the  Rev.  father  F.  James  Garcia,  made  a  great 
noise  in  Spain,  which  was  thus : 

This  same  James  Garcia  is  the  learned  m.an  of  whom  I  have 
spoken  several  times  in  my  book.  His  father,  though  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  was  very  honesUand  well  beloved,  and  as 
God  had  bestowed  on  him  riches  enough,  and  having  but  one 
child,  he  gave  him  the  best  education  he  could,  in  the  college 
of  Jesuits,  where,  in  the  study  of  grammar,  he  signalized  him- 
self for  his  vivacity  and  uncommon  wit.  After  going  to  the 
university,  he  went  through  philosophy  and  divinity,  to  the 
admiration  of  his  masters ;  he  entered  St.  Augustin's  order, 
and  after  his  noviciate  was  ended,  desired  to  obtain  the  degree 
of  master  of  arts;  he  defended  public  thesis  of  philosophy, 
and  after,  other  thesis  of  divinity,  without  any  moderator  to 
answer  for  him  in  case  of  necessity.  The  thesis  and  some 
propositions  were  quite  new  to  the  learned  people;  for  among 
other  propositions,  one  was  Innoccntium  esse  xjerum  pontifcem, 
non  est  defde,  i.  e.  it  is  not  an  article  of  faith  that  Innocent  is  tlie 
true  pope.  And  next  to  this  proposition,  this  other:  Noji  ere- 
dcre  quod  non  video,  non  est  contra  fdem.  It  is  not  against 
the  Catholic  faith  not  to  believe  what  I  do  not  see. 

Upon  account  of  these  tv/o  propositions,  he  was  summoned 
by  the  inquisitors,  and  ordered  to  defend  the  said  propositions 
separately,  in  the  hall  of  the  inquisition,  and  ansAver  for  six 
days  together,  to  all  the  arguments  of  the  learned  Quali- 
ficators,  which  he  did,  and  kept  his  ground,  that  instead  of 
being  punished  for  it,  he  was  honored  with  the  cross  of  the 
Qualificator,  after  the  examinations  were  made  of  the  purity 
of  his  blood. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  193 

Sentence  given  against  Lawrence  Castro,  goldsmith  of  Sar^ 
agossa. 

Lawrence  Castro  was  the  most  famous  and  wealthy  gold- 
smith in  the  city,  and  as  he  went  one  day  to  carry  a  piece  of 
plate  to  Don  Pedro  Guerrero,  before  he  paid  him,  he  bade  hira 
go  and  see  the  house  along  with  one  of  his  domestic  servants, 
which  he  did,  and  seeing  nothing  but  doors  of  iron,  and  hear- 
ing nothing  but  lamentations  of  the  people  within;  having  re- 
turned to  the  inquisitor's  apartment,  Don  Pedro  asked  him, 
Lawrence,  how  do  you  like  this  place?  To  which  Lawrence 
said,  I  do  not  like  it  at  all,  for  it  seems  to  me  the  very  hell  up- 
on earth.  This  innocent,  but  true  answer,  was  the  only  occa- 
sion of  his  misfortune ;  for  he  was  immediately  sent  into  one 
of  the  hellish  prisons,  and  at  the  same  time  many  officers  went 
to  his  house  to  seize  upon  every  thing,  and  that  day  he  appear- 
ed at  the  bar,  and  his  sentence  was  read :  he  was  condemned 
to  be  whipped  through  the  public  streets,  to  be  marked  on  his 
shoulders  with  a  burning  iron,  and  to  be  sent  forever  to  the 
gallies :  but  the  good,  honest,  unfortunate  man  died  that  very 
day;  all  his  crime  being  only  to  sayj  that  the  holy  office  did 
seem  to  him  hell  on  earth. 

At  the  same  time,  a  lady  of  good  fortune  was  whipped,  be- 
cause she  said  in  company,  I  do  not  knov/  whether  the  pope  is 
a  man  or  a  woman,  and  1  hear  wonderful  things  of  him  every 
day,  and  I  imagine  he  must  be  an  animal  very  rare.  For 
these  words  she  lost  honor,  fortune  and  life,  for  she  died  six 
days  after  the  execution  of  her  sentence :  and  thus  the  holy 
fathers  punish  triffing  things,  and  leave  unpunished  horrible 
crimes. 

The  following  instance  will  be  a  demonstration  of  this  truth, 
and  show  how  the  inquisitors  favor  the  ecclesiastics  more  than 
the  laity,  and  the  reason  why  they  are  more  severe  upon  one 
than  the  other. 

In  the  diocess  of  Murcia  was  a  parish  priest  in  a  village  in 
the  mountains.  The  people  of  it  were  almost  all  of  them 
shepherds,  and  were  obliged  to  be  always  abroad  with  their 
flocks :  so  the  priest  being  the  commander  of  the  shepherdess- 
es, began  to  preach  every  Friday  in  the  afternoon,  all  the  con- 
gregation being  composed  of  the  women  of  the  town.  His 
constant  subject  was,  the  indispensable  duty  of  paying  the 
tithes  to  him,  and  this  not  only  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  but 
of  the  seventh  of  their  sacraments  too,  which  is  matrimony, 
and  he  had  such  great  eloquence  to  persuade  them  to  secrecy, 

R 


194  MASTER-KEY  TO  rOPEEY. 

as  to  their  husl/auds,  and  a  ready  submission  to  hirn,  thai  he 
began  to  reap  the  fruit  of  his  doctrine  in  a  iaw  days,  and  hy 
this  wicked  example,  he  brought  into  the  list  of  the  tithes  all 
the  married  women  of  the  town,  and  he  received  from  them 
the  tenth  for  six  years  together;  but  his  infernal  doctrine  and 
practice  was  discovered  by  a  young  woman  who  was  to  he 
married,  of  whom  the  priest  asked  the  tithe  before  hand;  but 
she  telling  it  to  her  svveet-heart,  he  went  to  discover  the  case 
to  the  next  commissary  of  the  inquisition,  who  having  examin- 
ed the  matter,  and  found  it  true,  he  took  the  priest  and  sent 
him  to  the  inquisition;  he  was  found  guilty  of  so  abominable  a 
sin,  and  he  himself  confessed  it;  and  what  was  the  punishment 
inflicted  on  him?  Only  to  confine  him  m  a  friar's  cell  for  six 
months.  The  priest  being  confined,  made  a  virtue  of  neces- 
sity, and  so  composed  a  small  book,  entitled.  The  True  Peni- 
tent, whif  h  was  universally  approved  by  all  sorts  of  people,  for 
solid  doctrine  and  morality.  lie  dedicated  the  work  to  the  ho- 
ly inquisitors,  who,  for  a  reward  of  his  pains ,  gave  him  anoth- 
er parish  a  great  deal  better  than  the  first.  But  hardened 
wretch'.  There  he  fell  again  to  the  same  trade  of  receiving: 
the  tithes;  upon  which  the  people  of  the  parish  complained  to 
the  governor,  who  acquainted  the  king  with  the  case,  and  his 
majesty  ordered  the  inquisitors  to  apply  a  speedy  remedy  to 
it;  so  the  holy  fathers  sent  him  to  the  pope's  gallies  for  five 
years  time. 

I  must  own,  it  is  quite  against  my  inclination  to  give  ihis 
and  the  like  accounts,  for  it  will  s^eem  very  much  out  of  the 
way  of  a  clergyman;  but  if  the  reader  will  make  reflections  on 
them,  and  consider  that  my  design  is  only  to  shew  how  unjust- 
ly the  inquisitors  act  in  this  and  other  cases,  he  will  certainly 
excuse  me;  for  they  really  deserve  to  be  ridiculed  more  than 
argued  against,  reasoning  being  of  no  force  with  them,  but  a 
discovery  of  their  infamous  actions  and  laws,  may-be  will  pro 
duce,  if  not  in  them,  in  some  people  at  least,  a  good  effect. 

The  Roman  Catholics  believe  there  is  a  purgatory,  and  that 
the  souls  suffer  more  pains  in  it  than  in  hell.  But  I  think  the 
inquisition  is  the  only  purgatory  on  earth,  and  the  holy  fathers 
are  the  judges  and  executioners  in  it.  The  reader  may  form 
a  dreadful  idea  of  the  barbarity  of  that  tribunal,  by  what  I 
have  already  said,  but  I  am  sure  It  will  never  come  up  to  what 
it  is  in  reality,  for  it  passeth  all  understanding,  not  as  the 
peace  of  God,  but  as  the  war  of  the  devil. 

So  that  we  may  easily  know  by  this,  and  the  aforesaid  ac- 
count, that  they  leave  off  all  observance  of  the  first  precepts 


BIASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  195 

of  the  holy  ofRce,  and  chastise  only  those  that  speak  either 
against  the  pope,  clergy,  or  the  holy  inquisition. 

The  only  reason  of  settling  that  tribunal  in  Spain,  was  to 
examine  and  chastise  sinners,  or  those  that  publicly  contem 
ned  the  faith.     But  now  a  man  may  blaspheme  and  commit  the 
most  heinous  crimes,  if  he  says  nothing  against  the  three  men- 
tioned articles,  is  free  from  the  hellish  tribunal. 

Let  us  except  from  this  rule  the  rich  Jews,  for  the  poor  are 
in  no  fear  of  being  confined  there ;  they  are  the  rich  alone 
that  suffer  in  that  place,  not  for  the  crime  of  Jewdaism, 
(though  this  is  the  color  and  pretence,)  but  the  crime  of  hav- 
ing riches.  Francisco  Alfaro,  a  Jew,  and  a  very  rich  one, 
was  kept  in  the  inquisition  of  Seville  four  years,  and  after  he 
had  lost  all  he  had  in  the  world,  was  discharged  out  of  it  with 
a  small  correction :  this  was  to  encourage  him  to  trade  again 
and  get  more  riches,  which  he  did  in  four  years  time.  Then 
he  was  put  again  in  the  holy  office,  with  the  loss  of  his  goods 
and  money.  And  after  three  years  imprisonment  he  was  dis- 
charged, and  ordered  to  wear  for  six  months,  the  mark  of 
San-Benito,  i.  e.  a  picture  of  a  man  in  the  middle  of  the  fire 
of  hell,  which  he  was  to  wear  before  his  breast  publicly. — 
But  Alfaro  a  few  days  after,  left  the  city  of  Seville,  and  seeing 
a  pig  without  the  gate,  he  hung  the  San-Benito  on  the  pig's 
neck,  and  made  his  escape.  I  saw  this  Jew  in  Lisbon,  and 
he  told  me  the  story  himself,  adding,  Now  I  am  a  poor  Jew 
I  tell  everybody  so, and  though  the  inquisition  is  more  severe 
here  than  in  Spain,  nobody  takes  notice  of  me.  I  am  sure 
they  would  confine  me  forever,  if  I  had  as  much  riches  as  I 
had  in  Seville.  Really,  the  holy  office  is  more  cruel  and  in 
hirman  in  Portugal  than  in  Spain,  for  I  never  saw  any  publicly 
burnt  in  my  own  country,  and  I  saw  in  Lisbon  seven  at  once, 
four  young  v/omen  and  three  men;  two  young  women  were 
burnt  alive  and  an  old  man,  and  the  others  were  strangled  first. 

But  being  obliged  to  dismiss  this  chapter,  and  leave  out  ma- 
ny curious  histories,  I  promise  to  relate  them  in  the  second 
part  of  this  wdl-k.  Now  let  m.e  entreat  all  true  protestants  to 
join  with  me  in  hearty  prayer  to  God  almighty. 

O  eternal  God,  who  dost  rule  the  hearts  of  kings,  and  or- 
derest  every  thing  to  the  glory  of  the  true  religion,  -)Our  thy 
holy  spirit  upon  the  heart  of  Louis  the  first,  that  ho  raay  see 
the  barbarous,  unchristian  practices  of  the  inquisitors,  am! 
with  a  firm  resolution  abolish  all  laws  contrary  to  those  given 
us  by  thy  only  son,  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 


PART  IV. 

Of  their  Prayers,  Adoration  of  Images,  and  RtUcs. 

ARTICLE  I. 
Of  their  Prayers. 

The  prayers  sung  or  said,  in  the  church,  are  seven  canon- 
ical  hours,  or  the  seven  services,  viz :  Tertia,  Scxta,  Nona^ 
VespercR,  Matutina,  and  Completer. — P^ma  is  composed  of  the 
general  confession,  three  psalms,  and  many  other  prayers, 
with  the  Marfyrologio  Sanctorum,  i.  e.  with  a  commemoration 
of  all  the  saints  of  that  day.  Tertia  is  a  prayer  or  service 
of  three  psalms,  anthem,  and  the  collect  of  the  day,  &c. 
Sexta  and  Nona  are  the  same.  VespercB,  or  evening  songs 
contain  five  anthems,  five  psalms,  an  hymn.  Magnificat,  or  mj 
soul  doth  magnify,  &-c.,  with  an  anthem,  collect  of  the  day 
and  commemorations  of  some  saints.  Matutina,  or  matins 
is  the  longest  f  ^rvice  of  the  seven,  for  it  contains,  1st.  The 
psalm.  O  come  Let  us  sing:  2d.  An  hymn:  3d.  Three  anthems 
three  psalms,  and  three  lessons  of  the  Old  Testament:  4th 
Three  anthems,  three  psalms,  and  three  lessons  of  the  day, 
i.  e.  of  the  life  of  the  saint  of  that  day,  or  the  mystery  of  it 
5th.  Three  anthems,  three  psalms,  three  lessons,  of  which  th(^ 
first  beginneth  with  the  gospel  of  the  day,  and  two  or  threa 
lines  of  it,  and  the  rest  is  an  homily,  or  exposition  of  the  gos- 
pel: 6th.  Te  Deum:  7th.  Five  anthems,  five  psalms,  an  hymn, 
anthem  of  the  day,  the  psalm.  Blessed  he  the  Lords  of  Israel, 
&.C.,  the  collect  of  the  day,  and  some  commemorations. — 
Complete,  or  complices,  is  the  last  service,  which  contains  the 
general  confession,  an  anthem,  three  or  four  psalms,  and  Lord 
now  lettest  thou,  &c.,  and  some  other  adherent  prayers  for  the 
Virgin,  the  holy  cross,  saints,  «S^c.  All  these  seven  services 
are  said,  or  sung,  in  Latin,  every  day  in  the  cathedra.'  churches, 
but  not  in  all  the  parish  churches. 

In  the  cathedral  churches  on  the  festivals  of  the  first  class, 
or  the  greatest  festivals,  as  those  of  Christ  and  the  Virgin 

196 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  197 

Mai  y,  all  the  seven  canonical  hours  are  sung,  Prima  at  six 
in  the  morning,  and  a  mass  after  it.  Tertia  at  ten,  the  great 
mass  after,  and  after  the  mass,  Sexta  and  Nona.  At  two,  oi 
three  in  t'le  afternoon,  the  evening  song;  at  seven,  complices] 
and  half  an  hour  after  midnight,  the  matins.  In  the  festivals 
of  the  second  class,  as  those  of  the  apostles,  and  some  saints 
placed  in  that  class  by  the  popes,  Tertia,  evening  songs  and 
matins  are  all  that  are  sung,  and  likewise  every  day,  though 
not  with  organ,  nor  music. 

In  the  parish  churches  the  priests  sing  only  Tertia,  and  ete- 
fling  songs  on  Sundays  and  festivals  of  the  first  class;  except 
where  there  are  some  foundations,  or  settlements  for  singing 
evening  songs  on  other  private  days.  But  the  great  mass  is 
always  sung  in  every  parish  church,  besides  the  masses  for 
the  dead,  which  are  settled  to  be  sung. 

In  the  convents  of  the  friars,  they  observe  the  method  of 
the  cathedral,  except  some  days  of  the  week  granted  to  them 
by  the  prior,  as  recreation  days,  and  then  they  say  the  service, 
and  go  to  divert  themselves  all  the  day  after.  As  to  the  nuns, 
I  have  given  an  account  in  the  first  chapter  of  their  lives  and 
conversation. 

The  priests  and  friars  that  do  not  say,  or  sing  the  service 
with  the  community,  are  obliged  in  conscience  to  say  those 
seven  canonical  hours  every  day,  and  if  they  do  not,  they  com 
mit  a  mortal  sin,  and  ought  to  confess  it  among  the  sins  of  omis- 
sion. Besides  these  seven  services,  they  have,  not  by  pre- 
cept, but  by  devotion,  the  service,  or  small  office  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary,  the  seven  penitential  psalms,  and  other  prayers  of 
saints,  which  are  by  long  custom  become  services  of  precept, 
for  they  never  will  dare  to  omit  them,  either  for  devotion's 
sake,  or  for  fear  that  the  laity  would  tax  them  with  coldness 
and  negligence  in  matters  of  exemplary  devotion. 

As  to  the  public  prayers  of  the  laity,  they  all  are  contained 
in  the  beads  or  rosary  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  to  give  them 
some  small  comfort,  there  is  a  fixed  time  in  the  evening  in 
every  church  for  the  rosary.  The  sexton  rings  the  bell,  and 
when  the  parishioners,  both  men  and  women,  are  gathered 
together,  the  minister  of  the  parish,  or  any  other  priest,  comes 
out  of  the  vestry,  in  his  surplice,  and  goes  to  the  altar  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  and  lighting  two  or  more  candles  on  the  altar'* 
table,  he  kneels  down  before  the  altar,  makes  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  and  begins  the  rosary  with  a  prayer  to  the  Virgin :  ana 
after  he  has  said  half  of  the  Ave  Maria,  &.C.,  the  people  sa}' 
the  other  half,  which  he  repeats  ten  times,  the  people  domg 
k2 


19S  MASTER  KEY  TO  POPERY. 

the  same.  Then  he  says  Gloria  Patri,  &c. ;  and  the  people 
answer,  As  it  loas  in  the  beginning,  &c.  Then,  in  the  same 
manner,  the  priest  says  half  of  Our  Father,  and  ten  times  half 
Ave  Maria,  and  so  he  and  the  people  do,  till  they  have  said 
them  fifty  times.  This  done,  the  priest  says  another  prayer 
to  the  Virgin,  and  begins  her  litany,  and  after  every  one  of 
her  titles,  or  encomiums,  the  people  answer  Ora  pro  nobis, 
pray  for  us.  The  litany  ended,  the  priest  and  people  visit 
five  altars,  saying  before  each  of  them  one  Pater  Noster,  and 
one  Ave  Maria,  with  Gloria  Patri;  and  lastly,  the  priest, 
kneeling  down  before  the  great  altar,  says  an  act  of  contrition, 
and  endeth  with  Lighten  our  darkness,  we  beseech  thee,  6z,e. 
All  the  prayers  of  the  rosary  are  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  except, 
Gloria  Patri  and  Ora  pro  nobis,  i.  e.  Glory  be  to  thee,  &c., 
and  Pray  for  us. 

After  the  rosary,  in  some  churches,  there  is  Oratio  Menta^ 
lis,  i.  e.  a  prayer  of  meditation,  and  for  this  purpose  the  priest 
of  the  rosary,  or  some  other  of  devout  life  and  conversation, 
readeth  a  chapter  in  some  devout  book,  as  Thomas  a  Kempis, 
or  Francis  de  Sales,  or  Father  Eusebio,  of  the  difference  be- 
tween temporal  and  eternal  things;  and  when  he  has  ended 
the  chapter,  every  one  on  their  knees,  begin  to  meditate  on  the 
contents  of  the  chapter,  with  great  devotion  and  silence. 
They  continue  in  that  prayer  half  an  hour  or  more,  and  after 
it,  the  priests  say  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  God  Almighty, 
for  the  benefits  received  from  him  by  all  there  present,  &c. 

I  said  public  prayers  of  the  laity;  for  when  they  assist  at 
the  divine  service,  or  hear  mass,  they  only  hear  what  the 
priest  says  in  Latin,  and  answer  Amen.  Generally  speaking, 
they  do  not  understand  Latin,  especially  in  towns  of  300  hou- 
ses, and  villages,  there  can  scarcely  be  found  one  Latinist, 
except  the  curate,  and  even  he  very  often  doth  not  understand 
perfectly  well  what  he  reads  in  Latin.  By  this  universal  ig- 
norance we  may  say,  that  they  do  not  know  what  they  pray 
for;  nay,  if  a  priest  was  so  wicked  in  heart,  as  to  curse  the 
people  in  church,  and  damn  them  all  in  Latin,  the  poor  idiots 
must  answer  Amen,  knowing  not  what  the  priest  says.  lea 
not  blame  the  common  people  in  this  point,  but  I  blame  the 
pope  and  priests  that  forbid  them  to  read  the  scripture,  and 
by  this  prohibition  they  cannot  know  what  St.  Paul  says  about 
praying  in  the  vulgar  tongue :  So  the  pope  and  priests,  and 
those  tiiat  plead  ignorance,  must  answer  for  the  people  before 
the  dreadful  tribunal  of  God. 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POrEHY.  199 

Besides  this  public  prayer  of  the  rosary,  they  hav^e  private 
prayers  at  home,  as  the  crea^  the  Lord^s  prayer,  a  prayer  to 
the  Virgin,  the  act  of  contrition,  and  other  prayers  to  saints, 
angels,  and  for  souls  in  purgatory.  But  this  prayer  of  the 
rosary  is  not  only  said  in  church,  but  is  sung  in  the  streets, 
and  the  custom  was  introduced  b)'  the  Dominican  friars,  who, 
m  some  parts  of  Spain,  are  called  The  Fathers  of  the  holy 
rosary.  Sundays  and  holy  days,  after  evening  songs,  the 
prior  of  the  Dominicans,  with  all  his  friars  and  corporation, 
or  fraternity  of  the  holy  rosary,  begins  the  Virgin's  evening 
songs,  ail  the  while  ringing  the  bells,  which  is  to  call  for  the 
procession,  and  when  the  evening  songs  are  over,  the  clerk 
of  the  convent,  drest  in  his  Alva  or  surplice,  taking  the  stan- 
dard where  the  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary  is  drawn  with  a 
frame  of  roses,  and  two  novices  in  surplices,  with  candlesticks, 
wallving  on  each  side  of  the  standard,  the  procession  beginneth. 
First,  all  the  brethren  of  the  corporation  go  out  of  the  church, 
each  with  a  wax  candle  in  his  hand ;  the  standard  followeth 
aficr,  and  all  the  friars,  in  two  lines,  follow  the  standard.  In 
this  order  the  procession  goes  through  the  streets,  all  singing 
Ave  Maria,  and  the  laity  answering  as  before.  They  stop  in 
some  public  street,  where  a  friar,  upon  a  table,  preacheth  a 
sermon  of  the  excellency  and  power  of  the  rosary,  and  gath- 
ering the  people,  they  go  back  again  into  the  church,  where 
the  rosary  being  over,  another  friar  preacheth  upon  the  same 
subject  another  sermon,  exhorting  the  people  to  practise  this 
devotion  of  the  rosary;  and  they  have  carried  so  far  this 
extravagant  folly,  that  if  a  man  is  found  dead,  and  has  not  the 
beads  or  rosary  of  the  Virgin  in  his  pocket,  that  man  is  not 
reckoned  a  christian,  and  he  is  not  to  be  buried  in  consecrated 
ground  till  somebody  knoweth  him,  and  certifieth  that  such  a 
man  was  a  christian,  and  passeth  his  word  for  him.  So  every 
body  takes  care  to  have  always  the  beads  or  rosary  in  his 
pocket,  as  the  characteristic  of  a  christian.  But  this  devotion 
of  the  rosary  is  made  so  comtnon  among  bigots,  that  they  are 
always  with  the  beads  in  their  hands,  and  at  night  round  about 
their  necks.  There  is  nothing  more  usual  in  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, than  to  see  people  in  the  markets,  and  in  the  shops,  pray- 
ing with  their  beads,  and  selling  and  buying  at  the  same  time,* 
nay,  the  procurers  in  the  great  Piazza  are  praying  with  their 
beads,  and  at  the  same  time  contriving  and  agreeing  with  a  man 
for  wicked  intrigues.  So  all  sorts  of  persons  having  it  as  a 
law  to  say  the  rosary  every  day :  some  say  it  walking,  others 
in  company,  (keeping  silent  for  a  while)  bui  the   rest  talking 


200  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

or  laughing :  so  great  is  their  attention  and  devotion   in  this 
indispensable  prayer  of  the  holy  rosary. 

But  this  is  not  the  worst  of  their  practices;  for  if  a  man  or 
priest  neglects  one  day  to  say  the  rosary,  he  doth  not  commie 
a  mortal  sin,  though  this  is  a  great  fault  among  them;  but  the 
divine  service,  or  seven  canonical  hours,  every  priest,  friar, 
and  nun,  is  obliged  to  say  every  day,  or  else  they  commit  a 
mortal  sin,  by  the  statutes  of  the  church  and  popes.  This  ser- 
vice, which  is  to  be  said  in  private,  and  with  christian  devotion, 
is  as  much  profaned  among  ecclesiastics  and  nuns,  as  the  ro- 
sary among  the  laity;  for  I  have  seen  many  ecclesiastics  (and 
I  have  done  it  myself  several  times)  play  at  cards,  and  have 
the  breviary  on  the  table,  to  say  the  divine  service  at  the 
same  time.  Others  walking  in  company,  and  others  doing 
still  worse  things  than  these,  have  the  breviary  in  their  hands, 
and  reading  the  service,  when  they  at  the  same  time  are  in 
occasione  proxima  peccati;  and,  notwithstanding  they  believe 
they  have  performed  exactly  that  part  of  the  ecclesiastical 
duty. 

I  know  that  modesty  obligeth  me  to  be  more  cautious  in  this 
account,  and  if  it  was  not  for  this  reason,  I  could  detect  the 
most  horrible  things  of  friars  and  nuns  that  ever  were  seen 
or  heard  in  the  world;  but  leaving  this  unpleasant  subject,  I 
come  to  say  something  of  the  profit  the  priests  and  friars  get 
by  their  irreligious  prayers,  and  by  what  means  they  recom- 
mend them  to  the  laity. 

The  profits  priest  and  friars  get  by  their  prayers,  are  not  so 
great  as  that  they  get  by  absolution  and  masses;  for  it  is  by  an 
accident,  if  sometimes  they  are  desired  to  pray  for  money. — 
There  is  a  custom,  that  if  one  in  a  family  is  sick,  the  head  ot 
the  family  sends  immediately  to  some  devout,  religious  friar 
or  nun,  to  pray  for  the  sick,  so  by  this  custom,  not  all  priests 
and  friars  are  employed,  but  only  those  that  are  known  to  live 
a  regular  life.  But  i)ecause  the  people  are  very  much  mista 
ken  in  this,  I  crave  leave  to  explain  the  nature  of  those  whom 
the  people  believe  religious  friars,  or  in  Spanish,  Gazmonnos. 
In  every  convent  there  are  eight  or  ten  of  those  Gazmonnos,  or 
devout  men,  who,  at  the  examination  for  confessors  and  preach- 
ers, were  found  quite  incapable  of  the  performance  of  the 
great  duties,  and  so  were  not  approved  by  the  examiners  of  the 
convent.  And  though  they  scarcely  understand  Latin,  thev 
are  permitted  to  say  mass,  that  by  that  means  the  convent 
might  not  be  at  any  expense  with  them.  These  poor  idiots, 
being  not  able  to  get  any  thing  by  selling  absolutions,  nor  by 


MASl'ER-KE^   TO  TOPEEY.  20* 

preaching,  undertake  the  life  of  a  Gazmonnos.  ind  live  a  migh- 
ty retired  life,  keeping  themselves  in  their  cell^,  or  chambers, 
and  not  conversing  with  the  rest  of  the  col.  munity :  so  their 
brethren  Gazmonnos  visit  them,  and  among  themselves,  there 
is  nothing  spared  for  their  diversion,  and  the  carrying  on  their 
private  designs. 

When  they  go  out  of  the  convent  it  must  be  with  one  of  the 
same  fa  randitla,  or  trade.  Their  faces  look  pale;  their  eyes 
are  fixed  on  the  ground,  their  discourse  all  of  heavenly  things, 
their  visits  in  public,  and  their  meat  and  drink  but  very  little 
before  the  world,  though  in  great  abundance  between  them- 
selves, or,  as  they  say.  Inter  privatos  imrietes.  By  this  mor- 
tifying appearance,  the  people  believe  them  to  be  godly  men, 
and  in  such  a  case  as  sickness,  they  rather  send  to  one  of  these 
to  pray  for  the  sick,  than  to  other  friars  of  less  public  fame. — 
But  those  hypocrite^;,  after  the  apprenticeship  of  this  trade  is 
over,  are  very  expert  in  it,  for  if  any  body  sends  for  one  of 
them,  either  without  money,  or  some  substantial  present,  they 
say  they  cannot  go,  for  they  have  so  many  sick  persons  to  visit 
and  pray  for,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  spare  any  time. 
But  if  money  or  a  present  is  sent  to  him,  he  is  ready  to  go  and 
pray  every  where. 

So  these  ignorant,  hypocritical  friars,  are  always  followed 
by  the  ignorant  people,  who  furnish  them  with  money  and 
presents,  for  the  sake  of  their  prayers,  and  they  live  more 
comfortable  than  many  rich  people,  and  have  one  hundred  pis- 
toles in  their  pockets  oftener  than  many  of  the  laity  who  have 
good  estates. 

Some  people  will  be  apt  to  blame  me  for  giving  so  bad  a 
character  of  those  devout  men  in  appearance,  when  1  cannot 
be  a  judge  of  their  hearts.  But  I  answer,  that  I  do  not  judge 
thus  of  all  of  them,  but  only  of  those  that  I  knew  to  be  great 
hypocrites  and  sinners;  for  I  saw  seven  of  them  taken  up  by 
the  inquisitors,  and  I  was  at  their  public  trial,  as  I  have 
given  an  account  in  the  former  chapter.  So,  by  these  seven 
we  may  give  a  near  guess  of  the  others,  and  say,  that  their 
outward  mortifying  appearance  is  only  a  cloak  of  their 
private  designs. 

There  are  some  nuns  likewise,  who  follow  the  same  trade 
as  I  have  given  one  instance  in  the  chapter  of  the  inquisition, 
and  though  the  ignorant  people  see  every  day  some  of  these 
Gazmonnos  taken  up  by  the  inquisitors,  they  are  so  blinded, 
that  they  always  look  for  one  of  them  to  pra3^  These  hypo- 
crites do  persuade  the  heads  of  families,  that  they  are  obliged 


202  JtASTER-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

in  conscience  to  mind  their  own  business,  rathei  than  to  pray, 
and  that  the  providence  of  God  has  ordered  every  thing  fo^ 
the  best  for  his  creatures,  and  that  he,  (foreseeing  that  the  heads 
of  families  would  have  no  time  to  spare  for  prayers)  has  cho- 
sen such  rehgious  men  to  pray  for  them,  so  they  are  well  re- 
compensed for  their  prayers,  and  God  only  knoweth  whether 
they  pray  or  not.  Most  commonly,  when  they  are  wanted, 
they  are  at  the  club,  vvith  their  brethren  Gazmonnos,  eating 
and  drinking,  afterwards  painting  their  faces  with  some  yel- 
low drug,  to  make  themselves  look  pale  and  mortified.  O 
good  God !  how  great  is  thy  patience  in  tolerating  such  wicked 
men. 

As  to  the  means  tlic  priests  and  friars  make  use  of,  and  the 
doctrine  hey  preach  to  recommend  this  exercise  of  praying  to 
the  people,  I  can  give  one  instance  of  them  as  matter  of 
fact.  Being  desired  to  preach  upon  the  subject  of  prayer,  by 
the  mother  abbess  of  the  nuns  of  St.  Clara,  who  told  me  in 
private,  that  many  of  her  nuns  did  neglect  their  prayers,  and 
were  most  comgionly  at  the  grate  vvith  their  devotees,  and  the 
good  mother,  out  of  pure  zeal,  told  me  that  such  nuns  wercs 
the  devils  of  the  monastery;  so  to  oblige  her,  I  went  to  preach, 
and  took  my  text  out  of  the  gospel  of  St.  Ivlathew,  chap.  xvii. 
5.  21.  Iloivbeit,  this  kind  gocth  not  out  but  by  prayer  and  fas- 
ting, but  in  our  vulgar,  the  text  is  thus,  Howbeit  this  kind  of 
devils,  Sf-c.  And  after  I  had  explained  the  text,  confining  my- 
self wholly  to  the  learned  Silveria's  commentaries,  I  did  en- 
deavor to  prove,  that  the  persons  devoted  to  God  by  a  public 
profession  of  monastical  life,  were  bound  in  conscience  to 
pray  without  ceasing,  as  St.  Paul  tells  us,  and  that  if  they  neg- 
lected this  indispensable  duty,  they  were  worse  than  devils: 
and  after  this  proposition,  I  did  point  out  the  way  and  method 
to  tame  such  devils,  whioii  was  by  prayer  and  fasting.  And 
lastly,  the  great  obligation  laid  upon  us  by  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  apostles,  to  make  use  of  this  exercise  of  prayer,  which  I 
did  recommend  as  a  medium  to  attain  the  highest  degree  of 
glory  m  heaven,  and  to  exceed  even  angels,  prophets, 
patriarchs,  apostles,  and  alj  the  saints  of  the  heavenly  court. 

I  do  not  intend  to  give  a  cbpy  of  the  sermon,  but  I  cannot 
pass  by  the  proof  I  gave  to  confirm  my  proposition,  to  show 
by  it,  the  tril^iing  method  of  preaching  most  generally  used 
ivinong  the  Roman  Catholic,  preachers. 

The  historiographers  and  chronologcrs  of  St.  Augustine's 
order,  say,  (said  I)  that  the  great  father  Augustine  is  actually 
'n  heaven,  befo^-e  the  throne  of  the  holy  Trinity,  as  a  rewarj 


JLA.STER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  203 

fii  the  unparalleled  zeal  and  devotion  he  had  upon  earth,  for 
that  holy  mystery,  and  becp.use  he  spent  all  liis  free  time  on 
earth  in  praying,  which  makes  him  now  in  heaven  greater 
than  all  sorts  of"  saints.  They  say  more,  vjz.  that  in  the  heav- 
en of  the  holy  trinity,  there  are  only  the  Father,  the  Son,  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Virgin  Mary,  St.  Joseph,  and,  the  last  of  all, 
St.  Augustine.  'J'hus  father  Garcia,  in  his  Santoral,  printed 
in  Saragossa,  in  1707  vide  sermon  on  St.  Augustine. 

To  this,  I  knew  would  be  objected  the  11th  verse  of  the  xi. 
chap,  of  St.  Matthew,  Among  them  that  arc  horn  of  women, 
there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than  Juhn  the  Baptist.  To  which 
1  did  answer,  that  there  was  no  rule  without  an  exception,  and 
that  St.  Augustine  was  excepted  from  it:  and  this  I  proved  by 
a  maxim  received  among  divines,  viz.  Injimum  supremi  exccdit 
suprcmum  injimi,  the  least  of  a  superior  order  exceeds  the 
greatest  of  an  inferior.  There  are  three  heavens,  as  St.  Paul 
says,  and,  as  other  expositors,  three  orders.  They  place  in 
the  first  heaven,  the  three  divine  persons,  the  Virgin  Mary, 
St.  Joseph,  and  St.  Augustine;  in  the  second,  the  spiritual  in- 
telligences; and  in  the  third,  St.  John  Baptist,  at  the  head  of 
all  the  celestial  army  of  saints.  Then,  if  St.  Augustine  is  the 
last  in  the  highest  heaven,  though  St.  John  is  the  first  in  the 
lowest,  we  must  conclude,  by  the  aforementioned  maxim,  that 
the  great  Father  Augustine  exceeds  in  glory  all  the  saints 
of  the  heavenly  court,  as  a  due  reward  for  his  fervent  zeal  in 
praying,  while  he  was  here  below  amonr;  men. 

The  more  I  remember  this  and  the  like  nonsensical  proofs 
and  methods  of  preaching,  the  more  I  thank  God  for  his  good- 
ness in  brin2:ini]:  me  out  of  that  communion  into ,  another, 
where,  by  application,  I  learn  how  to  make  use  of  the  scrip«- 
ture,  to  the  spiritual  good  of  souls,  and  not  to  amusements 
which  are  prejudicial  to  our  salvation. 

Thus  I  have  given  you  an  account  of  the  public  and  private 
prayers  of  priests,  friars,  nuns,  and  laity;  of  the  profits  they 
have  by  it,  and  of  the  methods  they  take  to  recommend  this 
exercise  of  praying,  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  people.  Sure 
lam,  that  after  a  mature  consideration  of  their  way  of  pray- 
ing, and  of  that  w^e  make  use  of  in  our  reformed  congrega- 
tions, every  body  may  easily  know  the  great  diflference  be- 
tween them  both,  and  that  the  form  and  practice  of  prayers 
among  Protestants,  are  more  agreeable  to  God,  than  those  of 
tlie  Romish  priests  and  friars  can  be. 


204  MA£  TER-KEY  TO  rOPERY. 


ARTICLE  II. 

Of  the  adoration  of  Images. 

The  adoration,  of  images  was  commanded  by  scleral  gene  -ai 
councils,  and  many  popes,  whose  commands  and  decrees  are 
obeyed  as  articles  of  our  christian  faith,  and  every  one  that 
breaketh  tliem,  or,  in  his  outward  practice,  doth  not  conform 
to  them,  is  punished  by  the  inquisitors  as  an  heretic— there 
fore,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  if  people,  educated  in  such  a 
belief,  "without  any  knowledge  of  the  sin  of  such  idolatrous 
practices,  do  adore  the  images  of  the  saints  with  the  same,  and 
sometimes  more  devotion  of  heart  than  they  do  God  Almighty 
in  Spirit. 

I  begin,  therefore,  this  article  with  myself,  and  my  own  for- 
getfulness  of  God.  When  I  was  in  the  college  of  Jesuits  to 
learn  grammar,  the  teachers  were  so  careful  in  recommend- 
ing to  their  scholars  devotion  to  the  Virgin  Mary  of  Pilar,  of 
Saragossa,  that  this  doctrine,  by  long  custom,  was  so  deeply 
impressed  in  our  hearts,  that  every  body,  after  the  school  was 
over,  used  to  go  to  visit  the  blessed  image,  this  being  a  rule 
and  a  law  for  us  all,  which  was  observed  with  so  great  strict- 
ness, that  if  any  student  by  accident  missed  that  exercise  of 
devotion,  he  was  the  next  day  severely  whipped  for  it.  For 
my  part,  I  can  aver,  that  during  the  three  years  I  went  to  the 
college,  I  never  was  punished  for  want  of  devotion  to  the  Vir- 
gin. In  the  beginning  of  our  exercises,  we  were  bidden  to 
write  the  following  words,  Dirige  in  calamum  Virgo  Maria, 
meum;  Govern  my  pen,  O  Virgin  Mary!  And  this  was  my 
constant  practice  in  the  beginning  of  all  my  scholastical  and 
moral  writings,  for  the  space  of  ten  years,  in  which,  I  do  pro- 
test, before  my  eternal  Judge,  I  do  not  remember  whether  I 
did  invoke  God,  or  call  on  his  sacred  name  or  not.  This  I  re- 
member, that  in  all  my  distempers  and  sudden  afflictions,  my 
daily  exclamation  was,  O  Virgin  del  Pilar !  Help  me,  O  Vir- 
gin! &LC.  so  great  was  my  devotion  to  her,  and  so  great  my  for- 
getfulness  of  our  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  And  indeed 
a  man  that  does  not  inquire  into  the  matter,  hath  more  reason, 
according  to  the  doctrine  taught  in  those  places,  to  trust  in  the 
Virgin  Mary,  than  in  Jesus  Christ :  for  these  are  common  ex- 
pressions in  their  sermons.  That  neither  God  nor  Jesus  Christ 
can  do  any  thing  in  Heaven,  but  what  is  approved  by  the  blessed 
Mary,  that  she  is  the  door  of  glory,  and  that  nobody  can  enter 
into  it*  but  by  her  iiifluencct  &/€.     And  the  preachers  give  out 


MASTER-KEY  TO  rOPERY.  205 

these  propositions  a?  principles  of  our  faith,  insomuch,  that  if 
any  body  dares  to  believe  the  contrary,  he  is  reputed  an  here- 
tic, and  punished  as  such. 

Bi't  because  this  article  requireth  a  full  explanation,  and 
an  account  to  be  given  of  the  smallest  circumstances  belong 
ing  to  it,  I  shall  keep  the  class  and  order  of  Saints,  and  of  the 
adoration  they  are  worshipped  with,  by  most  people  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  countries.  And  first  of  all,  the  image  of  Je- 
sus Christ  is  adored  as  if  the  very  image  of  wood  was  the  ve- 
ry Christ  of  tiesh  and  bones.  To  clear  this,  I  will  give  an  in- 
stance or  two  of  what  I  saw  myself. 

In  the  cathedral  church  of  St.  Salvator,  fhere  was  an  old 
image  of  Jesus  Christ,  crucified,  behind  the  choir,  in  a  small 
unminded  chapel;  nobody  took  notice  of  that  crucifix,  except  a 
devout  prebend,  or  cannon  of  the  church,  who  did  use  every 
day  to  kneel  down  before  that  image,  and  pray  heartily  to  it. 
The  prebend  (though  a  religious  man  in  the  outward  appear- 
ance) was  ambitious  in  his  heart  of  advancement  in  the 
church;  so,  one  day,  as  he  was  on  his  knees  before  the  old 
image,  he  was  begging  that,  by  its  power  and  influence,  he 
might  be  made  a  bishop,  and  after  a  cardinal,  and  lastly,  pope ; 
to  which  earnest  request  the  image  made  him  this  answer:  Et 
tu  que  me  ves  a  qui,  que  hazes  pormi?  i.  e.  And  thou  see&t  me 
here,  what  dost  thou  do  for  me?  These  very  words  are  writ- 
ten, at  this  present  day,  in  gilt  letters  upon  the  crown  of  thorns 
of  the  crucitLx:  To  which  the  prebend  answered,  Dornine  pec- 
cavi,  ct  malum  coram  te  feci;  i.  e.  Lord  I  have  sinned,  and 
done  evil  before  thee.  To  this  humble  request,  the  image  said, 
Thou  slialt  he  a  bishop;  and  accordingly  he  was  made  a  bishop 
soon  after.  These  words,  spoken  by  the  crucifLx  of  the  cath- 
edral church,  made  such  a  noise,  that  crowds  of  well  disposed, 
credulous  people  used  to  come  every  day  to  offer  their  gifts  to 
the  miraculous  image  of  our  Saviour;  and  the  image,  which 
was  not  minded  at  all  before,  afler  it  spoke,  was,  and  has  been 
ever  since,  so  much  reverenced,  that  the  offerings  of  the  first 
six  years  were  reckoned  worth  near  a  million  of  crowns.  The 
history  of  the  miracle  reports,  that  the  thing  did  happen  in  the 
year  1562,  and  that  the  chapter  did  intend  to  build  a  chapel  in 
one  corner  of  fl.e  church,  to  put  the  crucifix  in  with  more  ven- 
eration and  decency;  but  the  image  spoke  again  to  the  prebend, 
and  said.  My  pleasure  is  to  continue  where  I  am  till  the  ena  oj 
the  world:  So  the  crucifix  is  kept  in  the  same  chapel,  but  richly 
adorned,  and  nobody  ever  since  dare  touch  any  thing  belong- 
ng  to  the  image,  for  fear  of  disobliging  the  cri  cifix.     It  has  an 

S 


200  AIASTEE-KEY   TO   POPERY. 

old  wig  on  its  head,  the  very  sight  of  which  is  enough  to  make 
every  one  laugh;  its  face  looks  so  black  and  disfigured,  that 
nobody  can  guess  whether  it  is  the  face  of  a  man  or  woman^ 
but  every  body  beheves  that  it  is  a  crucifix,  by  the  other  cir- 
cumstances of  the  cross,  and  crown  of  thorns. 

The  image  is  so  much  adored,  and  believed  to  have  such  a 
power  of  working  miracles,  that  if  they  ever  carry  it  out  in  a 
procession,  it  must  be  on  an  urgent  necessity:  For  example, 
if  there  is  a  want  of  rain  in  such  a  degree  that  the  harvest  is 
almost  lost,  then,  by  the  common  consent  of  the  archbishop 
and  chapter,  a  day  is  fixed  to  take  the  crucifix  out  of  its 
chapel  in  a  public  procession,  at  which  all  the  priests  and 
friars  are  to  assist  without  any  excuse,  and  the  devout  peo- 
ple too,  with  marks  of  repentance,  and  public  penances.  Like- 
wise the  archbishop,  viceroy,  and  magistrates,  ought  to  assist 
in  robes  of  mourning;  so  when  the  day  comes,  which  is  most 
commonly  very  cloudy,  and  disposed  to  rain,  all  the  commu- 
nities meet  together  in  the  cathedral  church :  And  in  the  year 
1706,  I  saw,  upon  such  an  occasion  as  this,  GOO  disciplinants, 
whose  blood  ran  from  their  shoulders  to  the  ground,  many 
others  with  long  heavy  crosses,  others  with  a  heavy  bar  of 
iron,  or  chains  of  the  same,  hanging  at  their  necks;  with  such 
dismal  objects  in  the  middle  of  the  procession,  12  priests  drest 
in  black  ornaments,  take  the  crucifix  on  their  shoulders,  and 
with  great  veneration  carry  it  through  the  streets',  the  eunuchs 
singing  the  litany. 

I  said,  that  this  image  is  never  carried  out  but  when  there 
is  great  want  of  rain,  and  when  there  is  sure  appearance  ot 
plenteous  rain;  so  they  never  are  disappointed  in  having  a 
miracle  published  after  such  a  procession :  Nay,  sometimes  it 
begins  to  rain  before  the  crucifix  is  out  of  its  place,  and  then 
the  people  are  alm.cst  certain  of  the  power  of  the  image :  So 
that  year  the  chapter  is  sure  to  receive  double  tithes:  For  ev- 
ery body  vows  and  promises  two  out  of  ten  to  the  church  for 
the  leccvery  of  the  harvest. 

But  what  is  more  than  this,  is,  that  in  the  last  wars  between 
king  Philip  and  king  Charles,  as  the  people  were  divided  into 
two  factions,  they  did  give  out  by  the  revelation  of  an  ignor- 
ant, silly  heata,  that  the  crucifix  Vvas  a  hytl/icro,  i.  e.  affection- 
ate to  king  Phiiip;  and  at  the  same  time  there  was  another 
revelation,  that  his  mother,  the  Virgin  of  Pikr,  was  an  impe- 
rialist,  i.  e.  for  king  Charles;  and  the  minds  of  .he  people  were 
eo  much  prejudiced  with  their  opinions,  that  the  partizans  ot 
FMiiiip  did  go  to  the  crucifix,  and  those  of  king  Charles  to  the 


SLA-STElC-KEiT    TO    I'oPERY. 


207 


Virgin  of  Pilar.  Songs  were  made  upon  this  sul  jcct:  one 
said,  When  Charles  the  Third  mounts  on  his  horse,  the  Virgin 
oj' Pilar  holds  the  stirrup.  The  other  said,  When  Philip  comes 
to  our  land,  the  Crucijix  of  Si  Salvator  guidet;  him  by  his  hand. 
By  tliese  two  factionj^,both  the  Virgin  and  her  son's  image  be- 
gan to  h:>se  the  presents  of  one  of  the  parties,  and  the  chapter, 
having  made  bitter  cnuiplaint  to  the  inqusitors,  these  did  put 
a  stop  to  their  sacrilegious  practices.  So  high  is  the  people's 
opinior.  of  the  image  of  the  crucifix,  and  so  blind  their  faith, 
that  all  the  world  would  not  be  able  to  persuade  them  that  tiiat 
image  did  not  speak  to  the  canon  or  prebendary,  and  that  it 
cannot  work  miracles  at  any  time.  Therefore  our  custom 
was,  afier  school,  to  go  first  to  visit  the  crucifix,  touch  its  feet 
with  our  hands,  and  kiss  it,  and  from  thence  go  to  visit  the  im- 
age of  the  Virgin  of  Pilar,  of  which  I  am  going  to  speak,  as 
the  next  image  to  that  of  Jesus  Christ,  though,  in  truth,  the 
first  as  to  the  people's  devotion. 

And  because  the  story,  or  history  of  the  image,  is  not  well 
known,  (at  least,  I  never  saw  any  foreign  book  treat  of  it.)  it 
seems  proper  to  give  a  full  account  of  it  here,  to  satisfy  the 
curiosity  of  many  that  love  to  read  and  hear;  and  this,  I  think, 
is  worth  every  body's  observation. 

The  book,  called  The  History  of  our  Lady  of  Pilar,  and 
her  Miracles,  contains,  to  the  best  of  my  memory,  the  follow 
ing  account: 

The  apostle  St.  James  came,  with  seven  new  converts,  to 
preach  the  gospel*  in  Saragossa,  (a  city  famous  for  its  antiqui- 
ty, and  for  its  founder  Cci^sar  Augustus;  but  more  famous  for 
the  heavenly  image  of  our  lady,)  and  as  they  were  sleeping  on 
the  river  Ebro's  side,  a  celestial  music  awakened  them  at 
midnight,  and  they  saw  an  army  of  angels,  melodiously  sing- 
ing, come  down  from  heaven,  v*ith  an  image  on  a  pillar,  which 
they  placed  on  the  ground,  forty  yards  distant  from  the  river, 
and  the  commanding  angel  spoke  to  St.  James  and  said.  This 
image  of  our  queen  shall  be  the  defence  of  this  city,  where 
you  come  to  plant  the  Christian  religion;  take  therefore  good 
courage,  for,  by  her  help  and  assistance,  you  shall  not  leave 
this  city  without  reducing  all  the  inhabitants  of  it  to  5  our 
Master's  religion;  and  as  she  is  to  protect  you,  j^ou  also  must 
signalize  yourself  in  building  a  decent  chapel  for  her.  The 
angels  leaving  the  image  on  the  earth,  with  the  same  melody 
and  songs,  went  up  to  heaven,  and  St.  James  and  his  seven 
converts,  on  their  knees  began  to  pray,  and  thank  God  for  thi? 


208  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERY. 

inestimable  tieasure  sent  to  them;  and  the  next  day  they  be- 
gan to  build  a  chapel  with  their  own  hands. 

I  have  already  given  an  account  of  the  chapel,  and  the 
riches  of  it;  now  I  ought  to  say  something  of  the  idolatrous 
adoration  given  to  that  image,  by  all  the  Roman  catholics  of 
that  kingdom,  and  of  ali  that  go  to  visit  her. 

The  image  has  her  own  chaplain,  besides  the  chapter  of  the 
prebends  and  other  priests,  as  I  have  told  before.  The  Virgin 
chaplain  has  more  privilege  and  power  than  any  king,  arch- 
bishop, or  any  ecclesiastical  person,  excepting  the  pope;  for 
his  business  is  only  to  dress  the  image  every  morning,  which 
he  doth  in  private,  and  without  any  help :  I  say  in  private, 
that  is  drawing  the  four  curtains  of  the  Virgin''s  canopy,  that 
nobody  may  see  the  image  naked.  Nobody  has  liberty,  but 
this  chaplain,  to  approach  so  near  the  image,  for  as  the  author 
of  the  book  says.  An  archbishop  (who  had  so  great  assurance 
as  to  attempt  to  say  mass  on  the  altar  table  of  the  Virgin,)  died 
upon  the  spot,  before  he  began  mass.  I  saw  king  Philip  and 
king  Charles,  when  they  went  to  visit  the  image,  stand  at  a 
distance  from  it.  With  these  cautions  it  is  very  easy  to  give 
out,  that  nobody  can  know  of  what  mntter  the  image  is  made, 
that  being  a  thing  referred  to  the  angels  only;  so  ail  the  favor 
the  Christians  can  obtain  from  the  Virgin,  is  only  to  kiss  her 
pillar,  for  it  is  contrived,  that  by  having  broke  the  wall  back- 
wards, a  piece  of  pillar,  as  big  as  two  crown  pieces  is  shown, 
which  is  set  out  in  gold  round  about,  and  there  kings,  and 
other  people,  kneel  down  to  adore  and  kiss  that  part  of  the 
stone.  The  stones  and  lime  that  were  taken,  when  the  wall 
was  broke,  are  kept  for  relics,  and  it  is  a  singular  favor, 
if  any  can  get  some  small  stone,  by  paying  a  great  sum 
of  money. 

There  is  always  so  great  a  crowd  of  people,  that  many  times 
they  cannot  kiss  the  pillar;  but  touch  it  with  one  of  their 
fingers,  and  kiss  afterwards  the  part  of  the  finger  that  touched 
the  pillar.  The  large  chapel  of  the  lamp  is  always,  night  and 
day,  crowded  with  people;  for,  as  they  say,  that  chapel  was 
never  empty  of  Christians,  since  St.  James  built  it;  so  the 
people  of  the  city,  that  work  all  day,  go  out  at  night  to  visit 
the  image,  and  this  blind  devotion  is  not  only  among  pious 
people,  but  among  the  profligate  and  debauched  too,  insomuch 
that  a  lewd  woman  will  not  <ro  to  bed  without  visiting  the 
image;  for  they  certainly  believe,  that  nobody  can  be  saved, 
«f  they   do  not  pay  this  tribute  of  devotion  to  the  sacred  image. 

Aad  to  prove  this  erroneous  belief,  the  chaplain,  who  dresses 


JL^STER-KEY    TO    POPERY.  20S 

the  image  (as  he  is  reckoned  to  be  a  heavenly  man)  may 
easily  give  out  what  stories  he  pleases,  and  make  the  people 
believe  any  revelation  trom  the  Virgin  to  him,  as  many  of  them 
are  written  in  the  bojk  of  the  Virgin  of  Pilar,  viz:  Dr.  Au- 
gustine Ramirez,  chaplain  to  the  image,  in  1542,  as  he  waa 
dressing  it,  it  talked  with  him  for  half  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and  said, 

IMy  faithful  and  well  beloved  Augustine,  I  am  very  angry 
with  the  inhabitants  of  this  my  city  for  their  ingratitude.  Now, 
I  tell  you  as  my  own  chaplain,  that  it  is  my  will,  and  I  com- 
mand you  to  publish  it,  and  say  the  following  words,  which 
is  my  speech  to  all  the  people  of  Saragossa : — Ungrateful  peo- 
ple, remember  that  after  my  son  died  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world,  but  more  especially  for  you  the  inhabitants  of  this  my 
chosen  city,  I  was  pleased,  tv/o  years  after  I  went  up  to  hea- 
ven, in  body  and  soul,  to  pitch  upon  this  select  city  for  my 
dwelling  place ;  therefore  I  commanded  the  angels  to  make  an 
image  perfectly  like  my  body,  and  another  of  my  son  Jesus, 
on  my  arms,  and  to  set  them  both  on  a  pillar,  whose  matter 
nobody  can  know,  and  when  both  were  finished,  I  ordered 
them  to  be  carried  in  a  procession,  round  about  the  heavens, 
by  the  principal  angels,  the  heavenly  host  following,  and  after 
them  the  Trinity,  who  took  me  in  the  middle ;  and  when  this 
procession  was  over  in  heaven,  I  sent  them  dov/n  with  illumi- 
nations and  music  to  awake  my  beloved  James,  wiio  was 
asleep  on  the  river  side,  commanding  him  by  my  ambassador 
Gabriel,  to  build  with  his  own  hands  a  chapel  for  my  image, 
which  he  did  accordingly;  and  ever  since  I  have  been  the 
defence  of  this  city  against  the  Sara.cen  army,  when  by  my 
mighty  power,  I  killed  in  one  night  at  the  breach,  50,000  of 
them,  putting  the  rest  to  a  precipitate  flight.  After  this  visible 
miracle,  (for  many  saw  me  in  the  air  fighting,)  I  have  deliv- 
ered them  from  the  oppression  of  the  Moors,  and  preserved 
the  faith  and  religion  unpolluted  for  many  years,  in  this  my 
city.  How  many  times  have  I  succored  them  with  rain  in 
time  of  need?  How  many  sick  have  I  healed?  How  much 
riches  are  they  masters  of,  by  my  unshaken  affection  to  them 
all?  And  what  is  the  recompense  they  give  me  for  all  these 
benefits?  Nothin<T  but  ingratitude.  I  have  been  ashamed 
these  fifteen  years,  to  speak  before  the  eternal  Father,  who 
made  me  queen  of  this  city:  many  and  many  times  I  am  at 
court,  with  the  three  persons,  to  give  my  consent  for  pardoning 
several  sinners ;  and  when  the  Father  asketh  me  about  my 
fiity,  I  am  so  bashful  that  I  cannot  lift  up  my  eyes  to  him.  He 
s2 


210  MASTER-KEY    TO   TOPEKY. 

knoweth  very  well  their  ingratitude,  and  blameth  me  for  suf- 
fering so  long  their  covetousness:  and  this  very  morning,  being 
called  to  the  council  of  the  Trinity  for  passing  the  divine  de- 
cree, under  our  hands  and  seal  for  the  bishoprick  of  Sara- 
gossa,  the  Holy  Spirit  has  uffionted  me,  saying  1  Vv^as  not  wor- 
thy to  be  of  the  private  council  of  heaven,  because  I  did  not 
know  how  to  govern  and  punish  the  criminals  of  my  chosen 
city;  and  I  have  vowed  not  to  go  again  to  the  heavenly  court, 
until  I  get  satisfaction  from  my  otienders.  So  I  thunder  out 
this  sentence,  against  the  inhabitants  of  Saragossa,  that  I 
have  resolved  to  take  away  my  image  from  them,  and  resign 
my  government  to  Lucifer,  if  they  do  not  come,  for  the  space 
of  fifteen  days,  every  day  with  gifts,  tears  and  penances,  to 
make  due  submission  to  my  image,  for  the  faults  committed 
by  them  these  fifteen  years.  And  if  they  come  with  prodigal 
hands,  and  true  hearts,  to  appease  my  wrath,  which  I  am 
pleased  with,  they  shall  see  the  rainbow  for  a  signal,  that  I 
receive  them  again  into  my  favor.  But,  if  not,  they  may  be 
sure  that  the  Prince  of  Darkness  shall  come  to  rule  and  reign 
over  them;  and  further,  I  do  declare,  that  they  shall  have  no 
appeal,  from  this  m}-  sentence,  to  the  tribunal  of  the  Father, 
for  this  is  my  will  and  pleasure. 

After  this  revelation  was  published,  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  were  under  such  a  concern,  that  the  magistrates,  b)' 
the  Archbishop's  order,  published  an  ordinance  for  all  sorts  of 
people  to  fast  three  days  every  week,  and  not  to  let  the  cattle 
go  out  those  days,  and  to  make  the  cattle  fast  as  well  as  the 
reasonable  creatures ;  and  as  for  the  infants,  not  to  suckle  them 
but  once  a  da}.  All  sorts  of  work  were  forbidden  for  fifteen 
days  time,  in  which  the  people  went  to  confess  and  make 
public  penances,  and  offer  whatever  money  and  rich  jewels 
they  had,  to  the  Virgin. 

CK)serve  now,  that  the  publishing  of  the  revelation  was  in 
the  month  of  May,  and  it  is  a  customary  thing  for  that  country 
to  see  almost  every  day  the  rainbow  at  that  time :  so  there  was 
by  all  probability,  certain  hopes  that  the  rainbow  would  not 
fail  to  shew  its  many  colored  faces  to  the  inhabitants  of  Sar- 
agossa, as  did  happen  the  eleventh  day;  but  it  was  too  late  for 
them,  for  they  had  bestowed  ail  their  treasures  on  the  image 
of  the  Virgin.  Then  the  rejoicings  began,  and  the  people 
were  almost  mad  for  joy,  reckoning  themselves  the  most  hap- 
py, blessed  people  in  the  universe. 

By  tiiese  and  the  like  revelations,  given  out  every  day  by 


MASTEK-KEY  TO  TOPERY.  811 

the  Virgin's  chaplain,  the  people  are  so  much  infatuated,  that 
they  certainly  believe  there  is  no  salvation  f(jr  any  soul  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  Virgin  of  Pilar;  so  they  never  fail  to 
visit  her  image  every  day,  and  to  pay  her  due  homage,  for 
fear  that  if  she  is  angry  again,  Lucifer  should  come  to  reign 
over  them.  And  this  is  done  by  the  Virgin's  crafy  chaplain, 
to  increase  her  treasure  and  his  own  too.  As  to  him,  1  may 
aver,  that  the  late  chaplain,  Don  Pedro  Valenzula  was  but  five 
years  in  the  Virgin's  service;  yearly  rent  is  1000  pistoles,  and 
when  he  died,  he  left  in  his  testament,  20,000  pistoles  to  the 
Virgin,  and  10,000  to  his  relations;  now  how  he  got  30,000 
pistoles  clear  in  six  years,  every  body  may  imagine. 

As  to  the  miracles  wrought  by  this  image,  I  could  begin  to 
give  an  account,  but  never  make  an  end;  and  this  subject  re- 
quiring a  whole  book  to  itself,  I  will  not  trouble  the  reader 
with  it,  hoping  in  God  that  if  he  is  pleased  to  spare  my  life 
some  years,  1  shall  print  a  book  of  their  miracles  and  revela- 
tions, that  the  world  may,  by  it,  know  the  inconsistent  grounds 
and  reasons  of  the  Romish  communion. 

Now,  coming  again  to  the  adoration  of  images,  I  cannot  pass 
by  one  or  two  instances  more  of  the  image  of  Jesus  Christ, 
idored  by  the  Roman  Catholics. 

The  first  is  that  of  the  crucifix  in  the  monument,  both  on 
Thursday  and  Friday  of  the  holy  week.  The  Roman  Catho- 
lics have  a  custom  on  holy  Thursday,  to  put  the  consecrated 
host  in  the  monument  till  Friday  morning  at  eleven  of  the 
clock,  as  I  have  already  said,  treating  of  the  estation  of  the 
holy  Calvary. 

Now  I  will  confine  myself  wholly  to  the  adoration  paid  to  the 
crucifix,  and  all  the  material  instruments  of  our  Saviour's  pas- 
sion, by  priests,  friars,  and  magistrates.  In  every  parish 
church  and  convent  of  friars  and  nuns,  the  priests  form  a  mon- 
ument, which  is  of  the  breadth  of  the  great  altar's  front,  con- 
sisting of  ten  or  twelve  steps,  that  go  gradually  up  to  the  Ara, 
or  altar's  table,  on  which  lies  a  box,  gilt,  and  adorned  with  jew- 
els, wherein  they  keep  for  twenty- four  hours,  the  great  host, 
which  the  priest  that  ofticiates,  has  consecrated  on  Thursday, 
between  eleven  and  twelve.  In  this  monument,  you  may  see 
as  many  wax  candles  as  parishioners  belonging  to  that  church, 
and  which  burn  twenty-four  hours  continually.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  monument  there  is  a  crucifix  la'-^  down  on  a  black  \e\- 
vet  pillov/,  and  two  silver  dishes  on  eaci,  side.  At  three  of  the 
tlock,  in  the  afiernoon,  there  is  a  ser.non  preached  by  the 
Lent  preachers,  whose  constant  text  is,  Mandatuvi  novum  do 


212  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

vohis,  ut  diligatis  invicem,  sicut  dilexi  vos.  Expressing  in  it, 
the  excessive  love  of  our  Saviour  towards  us.  After  it  the  pre- 
late washes  the  feet  of  twelve  poor  people,  and  all  this  while 
the  people  that  go  from  one  church  to  another,  to  visit  the 
monuments,  kneel  down  before  the  crucifix,  kiss  its  feet,  and 
put  a  piece  of  money  into  one  of  the  dishes.  The  next  day,  in 
the  morning,  there  is  another  sermon  of  the  passion  of  our 
Saviour,  wherein  the  preacher  recommends  the  adoration  of  the 
cross  according  to  the  solemn  ceremony  of  the  church.  That 
day,  i.  e.  Good  Friday,  there  is  no  Mass  in  the  Romish  church, 
for  the  host  which  was  consecrated  the  day  before,  is  received 
jy  the  minister,  or  prelate,  that  ofiiciates,  and  when  the  pas- 
sion is  sung,  then  they  begin  thii  adoration  of  the  crucifix, 
which  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  monument,  which  is  performed 
in  the  following  manner:  First  of  all,  the  priest  that  officiates, 
or  the  bishop,  when  he  is  present,  pulling  off  his  shoes,  goes 
and  kneels  down  three  times  before  the  crucifix,  kisses  its  feet, 
and  in  the  same  manner  comes  back  again  to  his  own  place. 
All  the  priests  do  the  same,  but  without  putting  any  thing  into 
the  dish,  this  being  only  a  tribute  to  be  paid  by  the  magistrates 
and  laity.  This  being  done  by  all  the  magistrates,  the  priest 
bids  them  to  come  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  to  the  descent  of 
Jesus  Christ,  from  the  cross,  and  this  is  another  idolatrous  cer- 
emony and  adoration. 

The  same  crucifix  that  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  monument, 
is  put  on  the  great  altar's  table,  veiled  or  covered  with  two  cur- 
tains, and  when  the  people  are  gathered  together  in  the 
church,  the  chapter  or  community  comes  out  of  the  vestry,  and 
kneeling  down  before  the  altar,  begins  in  a  doleful  manner  to 
sing  the  psalm.  Miserere,  and  when  they  come  to  the  verse, 
Tihi  soli  peccavi,  t^'c,  they  draw  the  curtains,  and  shew  the 
image  of  Christ  crucified  to  the  people.  Then  the  preacher 
goes  up  to  the  pulpit,  to  preach  of  the  pains  and  afflictions  of 
the  Virgin  Mary,  (whose  image  shedding  tears  is  placed  be- 
fore the  image  of  her  son.)  I  once  preached  upon  this  occa- 
sion in  the  convent  of  St.  Augustine,  in  the  city  of  Huesca, 
and  my  text  was,  Animam  meam  jpertransivit  gladius.  After 
the  preacher  has  exaggerated  the  unparalleled  pains  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  seeing  her  son  suffer  death  in  so  ignominious  a 
manner,  he  orders  Satellites  (so  they  call  those  that  stand 
with  the  nails,  hammer  and  other  instruments  used  in  their 
crucifixion)  to  go  up  to  the  cross,  and  take  the  crown  of  thorns 
off  the  crucifix's  head,  and  then  he  preaches  on  that  action, 
representing  to  the  people  his  sufferings  as  movingly  as  possi- 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  213 

ble.  After  the  Satellites  have  taken  the  nails  out  of  the  hands 
and  feet,  they  bring  down  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  lay  him  in  the 
coffin,  and  when  the  sermon  is  uver,  the  procession  begins, 
all  in  black,  which  is  called  the  burying  of  Christ.  In  that 
procession,  which  is  always  in  the  dark  of  the  evening,  there 
are  vast  numbers  of  disciplinants  that  go  along  with  it,  whip- 
ping themselves,  and  shedding  their  blood,  till  the  body  of  Je- 
sus is  put  into  the  sepulchre.  Then  every  body  goes  to  adore 
tlie  sepulchre,  and  afte^  the  adoration  of  it,  begins  the  proces- 
sion of  the  estat'.ons  of  the  holy  Calvary,  of  which  I  have  spo- 
ken already  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  book. 

I  will  not  deprive  the  public  of  another  superstitious  cere- 
mony of  the  Romish  Priests,  which  is  very  diverting,  and  by 
w  hich  their  ignorance  will  be  more  exposed  to  the  world ;  and 
this  is  practised  on  the  Sunday  before  Easter,  which  is  called 
Dominica  Palmarum,  in  which  the  church  commemorates  the 
triumphant  entry  of  Jesus  Christ  in  Jerusalem,  sitting  on  an 
ass,  the  people  spreading  their  clothes  and  branches  of  olive 
trees  on  the  ground :  so,  in  imitation  of  this  triumph,  they  do 
the  same  in  some  churches  and  convents. 

The  circumstance  of  one  being  representative  of  Jesus,  on 
an  ass,  I  never  saw  practised  in  Saragossa,  and  I  Avas  quite 
unacquainted  with  it  till  I  went  to  Alvalate,  a  town  that  be- 
longs to  the  archbishop  in  temporalibus  and  spiritualibus, 
whither  I  was  obliged  to  retire  with  his  Grace,  in  his  precipi- 
tate flight  from  King  Charles's  army,  for  fear  of  being  taken 
prisoner  of  state.  We  were  there  at  the  Franciscan  convent 
on  that  Sunday,  and  the  archbishop  being  invited  to  the  cere- 
mony of  the  religious  triumph,  I  went  with  him  to  see  it,  which 
was  performed  in  the  following  manner. 

All  the  friars  being  in  the  body  of  the  church,  the  guardian 
placing  his  Grace  at  the  right  hand,  the  procession  began,  ev- 
ery friar  having  a  branch  of  olive  trees  in  his  hand,  which 
was  blessed  by  the  Rev.  Father  Guardian;  so  the  cross  going 
before,  the  procession  went  out  of  the  church  to  a  large  yard 
before  it:  But,  what  did  we  see  at  the  door  of  the  church,  but 
a  fat  friar,  dressed  like  a  Nazareen,  on  a  clever  ass,  two  friars 
holding  the  stirrups,  and  another  pulling  the  ass  by  the  bridle. 
The  representative  of  Jesus  Christ  took  place  before  the 
archbishop  The  ass  was  an  he  one,  though  not  so  fat  as  the 
friar,  but  the  ceremony  of  throwing  branches  and  clothes  be- 
fore him,  being  quite  strange  to  him,  he  began  to  start  and  ca- 
per, and  at  last  threw  down  the  heavy  load  of  the  friar. — The 
ass  ran  away,  leaving  the  reverend  on  the  ground,  with  one 


214  MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY. 

arm  broken.  This  unusual  ceremony  was  so  pleasing  to  us 
a\\,  that  his  Grace,  notwifhstanding  his  deep  melancholy^, 
iiughed  heartily  at  it.  The  ats  was  brought  back,  and  an- 
other friar,  making  the  representative,  put  an  end  to  this  ass- 
ike  ceremony. 

But  the  ignorance  and  superstition  begins  now;  when  the 
ceremony  was  over,  a  novice  took  the  ass  by  the  bridle,  and 
began  to  walk  in  the  cloister,  and  every  friar  made  a  rever- 
ence, passing  by,  and  the  people  kneeling  down  before  him, 
said,  O  happy  ass  I  But  his  Grace  displeased  at  so  great  a 
superstition,  spoke  to  the  guardian,  and  desired  him  not  to  suf 
fer  his  friars  to  give  such  an  example  to  the  ignorant  people, 
as  to  adore  the  ass.  The  guardian  was  a  pleasant  man,  and 
seeing  the  archbishop  so  melancholy,  only  to  make  him  laugh, 
told  his  Grace  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  obey  his 
Grace,  without  removing  all  his  friars  to  another  convent, 
and  bring  a  new  community.  Why  so?  said  his  Grace.  Be- 
cause (replied  the  guardian)  all  my  friars  are  he  asses.  And 
you  the  guardian  of  them  (answered  his  Grace.)  Thus  priests 
and  friars  excite  the  people,  to  adore  images. 

But  because  this  article  of  images,  and  that  of  relics,  con- 
tribute very  much  to  the  discovery  of  the  idolatries,  and  of  the 
bigotries  and  superstitions  of  all  those  of  that  communion,  1 
shall  not  leave  this  subject,  without  giving  an  account  of  some 
remarkable  images  which  are  worshipped  and  adored  by 
them  all. 

They  have  innumerable  images  of  Christ,  the  Virgin  Mary, 
the  angels  and  saints  in  the  streets,  in  small  chapels  built 
within  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  most  commonly  in  the 
corners  of  the  streets,  which  the  people  adore,  kneel  down 
before,  and  make  prayers  and  supplications  to.  The}^  say, 
that  many  of  those  images  have  spoken  to  some  devout  per- 
sons, as  that  of  St.  Philip  Nery  did  to  a  certain  ambitious 
priest,  who,  walking  through  the  street  where  the  image  was, 
was  talking  within  himself,  and  saying.  Now  I  am  a  priest, 
next  year  I  hope  to  be  a  dean,  after  bishop,  then  cardinal,  and 
after  all,  summus  pontifex.  To  v/hich  soliloquy  the  image  of 
St.  Philip  answered.  And  after  all  these  honors  comes  death, 
and  after  death,  hell  and  damnation  forever.  The  priest,  be- 
ing surprised  at  this  answer,  so  much  apropos,  and  looking  up 
and  down,  he  saw  the  mouth  of  the  image  open,  by  which  he 
concluded  that  the  image  had  given  him  the  answer;  and  scy 
taking  a  firm  resolution  to  leave  all  the  thoughts  of  this  deceit 
fiil  world,  with  his  own  money  he  purchased  the  house  where 


MASTER-KEY  TO  POPERY.  215 

the  image  was,  and  built  a  decent  chapel  in  h  mor  of  St.  Philip, 
which  now,  by  the  ^'ifts  of  pious  people,  is  so  much  enlarged, 
that  we  reckon  St.  Philip's  church  and  parish  to  be  the  third 
in  the  city  for  riches,  the  number  of  beneficiate  priests  being 
46,  besides  the  rector. 

In  St.  Philip's  church  there  is  a  miraculous  crucifix,  called 
El  santo  Christo  de  las  peridas;  The  holy  Christ  of  child-bed 
women ;  which  is  much  frequented  by  all  people,  but  chiefly 
by  the  ladies,  who  go  there  to  be  churched,  and  leave  the  pu- 
rification offering  mentioned  in  the  ceremonial  law  of  jMosos. 
And  as  there  is  this  image  which  is  an  advocate  of  women 
delivered  of  child,  there  are  also  two  images,  who  are  advo- 
cates of  barren  women,  one  of  the  Virgin  in  the  convent  of 
Recolet  friars  of  St.  Augustine,  and  another  of  St.  Antonio 
del  Paula:  The  first  is  called  the  barren  women,  the  second, 
the  intercessor  of  the  barren  ladies.  This  second  image  is 
in  the  convent  of  Victorian  friars,  and  is  kept  in  a  gilt  box  in 
a  chapel  within  the  cloister,  and  the  door  is  always  locked  up, 
and  the  key  k'^pt  by  the  father  corrector,  i.  e.  the  superior  of 
the  convent. 

Another  practice,  of  paying  worship  and  adoration  to  the 
Virgin  Mother,  and  her  child  Jesus  in  a  manger,  is  observed 
on  Christmis,  and  eight  days  after;  But  especially  the  nuns 
do  signalize  themselves  on  this  festival,  and  that  on  which  Je- 
sus was  lost  and  foun  1  again  in  the  temple;  f3r  tlicy  hide  the 
child  in  some  secret  place  under  the  altar's  table,  and  after 
evening  songs  they  run  up  and  down  through  the  garden, 
cloisters  and  church,  to  see  whether  they  can  find  the  inno 
cent  child,  and  the  nun  that  finds  him  out,  is  excused,  f3r  that 
year,  from  all  the  painful  ofiices  of  the  convent;  but  she  is  to 
give,  for  three  days  together,  a  good  dinner  to  all  the  ..uns 
and  father  confessor;  and  that  year  she  may  goto  the  grate  at 
any  time,  without  any  leave  or  fear,  for  she  doth  not  assist  at 
the  public  service  of  prayers:  in  short,  she  has  liberty  of  con- 
science that  year,  for  finciing  the  lost  child,  and  r^he  is  often  lost 
too  at  the  end  of  the  year,  bv  following  a  licentious  sort  of  a 
life. 

The^jc  are,  in  some  measure,  voluntary  devotions  c.nd  ado- 
rations, but  tliere  are  many  others  b}^  precept  of  the  church, 
and  ordinances  of  several  popes,  who  have  granted  proper 
services  to  several  images,  with  which  priest^  and  friars  do 
serve  and  adore  them,  or  else  they  commit  a  mortal  sin,  aa 
well  as  if  they  neglected  the  divine  and  ecclesiastical  service 
and  the  due  observance  of  the  ten  commandments  of  th  j  law 


216  MASTER-KEY    TO    POPERT. 

of  God.     I  will  give  a  few  instances  of  these  adorations  by 
precept,  and  with  them  I  shall  conclude. 

There  are  in  the  church  of  Rome,  proper  services  granted 
by  the  popes  for  the  invention  or  finding  out  of  the  cross,  and 
for  the  exaltation  of  it,  and  every  priest,  friar,  and  nun,  is 
obliged  in  conscience,  to  say  these  services  in  honor  of  the 
cross;  and  after  the  great  mass  they  adore  the  cross,  and  this 
IS  properly  adoration,  for  they  say  in  the  hymn.  Let  us  come 
and  adore  the  holy  cross,  &c.,  and  the  people  do  the  same  af- 
ter them.  They  carry  the  cross  on  the  3d  of  May,  and  on 
the  great  Litany-days,  in  a  solemn  procession,  to  some  high 
place  out  of  the  town,  and  after  the  officiating  priest  has  lifted 
up  the  cross  towards  the  south,  north,  west,  and  east,  blessing 
the  four  parts  of  the  world,  and  singing  the  Litany,  the  pro- 
cession comes  back  to  the  church.  These  festivals  are  cele- 
brated with  more  devotion  and  veneration,  as  to  the  outward 
appearance,  than  pomp  and  magnificence,  except  in  the 
churches  dedicated  to  the  holy  cross,  where  this  being  th'e  tit- 
,ular  festival,  is  constantly  performed  with  all  manner  of  cere 
monies,  as  the  days  of  the  first  class. 

There  are  proper  services  granted  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  un- 
der the  following  names :  The  Virgin  of  the  rose  of  St.  Dom- 
inick,  of  the  girdle  of  St.  Augustine,  or  the  rope  of  St.'  Fran- 
cis, and  of  the  scapulary  of  Mount  carmel.  All  these  distin- 
guishing signs  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  are  celebrated  by  the 
church  and  fraternities  of  devout  people,  and  adored  by  all 
christians,  being  all  images  and  relics  to  be  worshiped  by  the 
command  of  the  pope.  Now,  by  what  has  been  said,  where 
can  we  find  expressions  fit  to  explain  the  wickedness  of  the 
Romish  priests,  the  ignorance  of  the  people,  committed  to  their 
charge,  and  the  idolatrous,  nonsensical,  ridiculous  ceremonies 
with  which  they  serve,  not  God,  but  saints,  giving  them  more 
tribute  of  adoration  than  to  the  Almighty?  I  must  own,  that 
the  poor  people  who  are  easily  persuaded  of  every  thing,  are 
not  so  much  to  be  blamed,  but  the  covetous,  barbarous  clergy; 
for  these  (though  many  of  them  are  very  blind)  are  not  to  be 
supposed  ignorant  of  what  sins  they  do  commit,  and  advise 
the  people  to  commit:  so,  acting  against  the  dictates  of  their 
own  consciences,  they,  I  believe,  must  answer  for  their  ill- 
guided  flock,  before  the  tribunal  of  the  living  God. 


THE 
INaUISITION   OF  GOA 

[from  DR    BUCHANATc's   researches  in  ASIA.] 

^'Goa,  Convent  of  the  Augustinians,  Jaw.  23, 1808, 
"On  my  arrival  at  Goa,  I  was  received  into  the  Louse  of 
Captain  Schuyler,  the  British  Resident.  The  British  force 
here  is  commanded  by  Col.  Adams,  of  his  Majesty's  78th  rc- 
p;iment,withwhomI  was  formerly  well  acquainted  in  Bengal.* 
Ne.^ft  day  1  was  introduced  by  these  gentlemen  to  the  Viceroy 
of  Goa,  the  Count  de  Cabral.  I  intimated  to  his  excellency 
my  wish  to  sail  up  the  river  to  Old  Goa,t  (where  the  Inquisi- 
tion is,)  to  which  he  politely  acceded.  Major  Pareira,  of  the 
Portuguese  establishment,  who  was  present,  and  to  whom  I 
had  letters  of  introduction  from  Bengal,  offered  to  accompany 
mc  to  the  city,  and  to  introduce  me  to  the  archbishop  of  Goa, 
the  Primate  of  the  Orient. 

"I  had  communicated  to  Col.  Adams,  and  to  the  British  Res- 
ident, my  purpose  of  inquiring  into  the  state  of  the  Inquisition. 
These  gentlemen  informed  me,  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  ac- 
complish my  design  without  difficulty ;  since  every  thing  rela- 
ting to  the  Inquisition  was  conducted  in  a  very  secret  manner, 
the  most  respectable  of  the  lay  Portuguese  themselves  being 
ignorant  of  its  proceedings;  and  that,  if  the  priests  were  to  dis 
cover  my  object,  their  excessive  jealousy  and  alarm  would 
prevent  their  communicating  with  me,  or  satisfying  my  inqui- 
ries on  any  subject. 

*  The  forts  in  the  harbor  of  Goa  were  then  occupied  by  British  troops,  (two 
King's  regiments,  and  two  regiments  of  native  infantry,)  lo  prevent  its  feilDng 
into  the  hands  of  the  French. 

t  There  is  Old  and  New  Goa.  Thi*  Id  city  is  about  eight  miles  up  the 
river.  The  Viceroy  and  the  chief  Portuguese  inhabitants  reside  ?.  'New  Goa, 
vviiich  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  within  the  forts  of  the  harbor.  The  old 
city,  where  the  Inquisition  and  the  Churches  are,  is  now  alriost  entire  y  de- 
seited  by  the  secular  Portuguese,  and  is  inhabited  by  the  priests  al  me.  The 
unheal thiness  of  the  place,  and  the  ascendency  of  the  pi^ests,  are  the  cauie* 
>.ssigned  for  abjuidining  the  ancient  city. 

T  217 


2, '8  iTfQUisrnoN  of  goa. 

"On  receiving  tlvis  intelligence,  I  perceived  that  it  would  ob 
necessary  to  proceed  with  caution.  I  was,  in  fact,  about  tc 
visit  a  republic  of  priests;  whose  dominion  had  existed  for 
nearly  three  centuries;  whose  province  it  was  to  prosecute 
heretics,  and  particularly  the  teachers  of  heresy;  and  from 
whose  authority  and  sentence  there  was  no  ap{)eal  in  India. 

"It  happened  that  Lieutenant  Kempthorne,  Commander  ol 
His  Majesty's  brig  Diana,  a  distant  connexion  of  my  own,  wag 
at  this  time  in  the  harbor.  On  his  learning  that  I  meant  tc 
visit  Old  Goa,  he  offered  to  accompany  me,  as  did  Captain 
Stirling,  of  His  Majesty's  84th  regiment,  which  is  now  sta 
tioned  at  the  forts. 

'•We  proceeded  up  the  river  in  the  British  Resident's  barge, 
Accompanied  by  Major  Pareira,  who  was  well  qualified  by  a 
thirty  years'  residence,  to  give  information  concerning  local 
circumstances.  From  liim  I  learned  that  there  were  upwards 
of  two  hundred  Churches  and  Chapels  in  the  province  of  Goa 
and  upwards  of  two  thousand  priests. 

"On  our  arrival  at  the  city,  it  was  past  twelve  o'clock;  all 
the  churches  were  shut,  and  we  were  told  that  they  would  not 
be  opened  again  till  two  o'clock.  I  mentioned  to  Major  Parei- 
ra, tliat  1  intended  to  stay  at  Old  Goa  some  days;  and  that  I 
should  be  obliged  to  him  to  find  me  a  place  to  sleep  in.  He 
seemed  surprised  at  this  intimation,  and  observed  that  it  would 
be  diihcult  for  me  to  obtain  a  reception  in  any  of  the  Churches 
or  Convents,  and  tliat  there  were  no  private  houses  into  which 
I  could  be  admitted.  I  said  I  could  sleep  any  where;  I  had 
two  servants  with  mo,  and  a  travelling  bed.  When  he  per- 
ceived that  I  was  serious  in  my  purpose,  he  gave  directions  to 
a  civil  ollicer  in  that  place,  to  clear  out  a  room  in  a  building 
which  had  long  been  uninhabited,  and  which  was  then  used  as 
a  warehouse  for  goods.  Matters  at  this  time  presented  a  very 
gloomy  appearance:  and  1  had  thoughts  of  returning  with  my 
companions  from  this  inhospitable  place.  In  the  mean  time 
we  sat  down  in  the  room  I  have  just  mentioned,  to  take  some 
refreshment,  while  Major  Pareira  went  to  call  on  some  of  his 
friends.  During  this  interval,  I  communicated  to  Lieut.  Kemp- 
thorne the  object  of  my  visit.  I  had  in  my  pocket  ^Dellon's 
Account  of  the  Inquisition  at  Goa;'  *  and  I  mentioned  some 

*  Monsieur  Dellon,  a  ph5'sician,  was  imprisoned  in  a  dungeon  of  the  Inqni- 
sJl>on  at  Goa  for  two  years,  and  witnessed  an  Auto  da  Fe,  when  some  herfv 
tics  v/ere  bunicd;  at  wiiich  time  ho  walked  barefoot.  After  Jiis  release  ha 
wrote  the  histor}^  of  his  confmemcnt.  IJis  descriptions  are  in  general  veij 
accurate. 


INQUISITION  OF  GOA  219 

particulars.  While  we  were  conversing  on  tha  subject  tlie 
great  bell  of  the  Cathedral  began  to  toll;  the  same  which  Dcl- 
lon  observes,  always  tolls  before  day-light,  on  the  morning  of 
the  Auto  da  Fe.  1  did  not  myself  ask  any  questions  of  the 
people  concerning  tie  Inquisition;  but  Mr.  Kempthorne  made 
in(iuiri(;s  for  me  and  he  soon  found  out  that  the  Santa  Casa, 
or  Holy  OlHce  was  close  to  the  house  where  we  were  then 
sitting.  The  gentlemen  went  to  the  window  to  view  the  hor- 
rid mansion;  and  1  could  see  the  indignation  of  free  and  en- 
lightened men  arise  in  the  countenances  of  the  two  British  otli- 
cers,  while  they  contemplated  a  place  where  formerly  their 
own  countrymen  were  condemned  to  the  flames,  and  into 
which  they  themselves  might  now  suddenly  be  thrown,  with- 
out the  possibility  of  rescue. 

"At  two  o'clock  we  went  out  to  view  the  churches,  which 
were  now  open  for  the  afternoon  service;  for  there  are  regular 
daily  masses;  and  the  bells  began  to  assail  the  ear  in  every 
quarter. 

*'The  magnificence  of  the  churches  of  Goa,  far  exceeded 
any  idea  I  had  formed  from  the  previous  description.  Goa  is 
properly  a  city  of  Churches;  and  the  wealth  of  provinces 
seems  to  have  been  expended  in  their  erection.  The  ancient 
specimens  of  architecture  at  this  place,  far  excel  any  thing 
that  has  been  attcmj)ted  in  modern  times,  in  any  other  part  of 
the  East,  both  in  grandeur  and  in  taste.  The  chapel  of  the 
palace  is  built  after  the  plan  of  St,  Peter's  at  Rome,  and  is 
4iiid  to  be  an  accurate  model  of  that  paragon  of  architecture. 
The  church  of  St.  Dominic,  the  founder  of  the  Inquisition,  is 
decorated  with  paintings  of  Italian  masters.  St.  Francis  Ya- 
ver  lies  enshrined  in  a  monument  of  exquisite  art,  and  his 
coffin  is  enchased  with  silver  and  precious  stones.  The  cathe- 
dral of  Goa  is  worthy  of  one  of  the  principal  cities  of  Europe; 
and  the  church  and  convent  of  the  Augustinians  (in  which  I 
now  reside)  is  a  noble  pile  of  building,  situated  on  an  emi- 
nence, and  has  a  magnificent  appearance  from  afar. 

"But  wliat  a  contrast  to  all  this  grandeur  of  the  churches  i3 
the  worship  offered  in  them!  I  have  been  present  at  the  chap- 
els every  day  since  I  arrived ;  and  I  seldom  see  a  single  wor- 
shipper, but  the  ecclesiastics.  Two  rows  of  native  priests, 
kneeling  in  order  before  the  altar,  clothed  in  coarse  black 
garments,  of  sickly  appearance  and  vacant  countenances, 
perform  here,  from  day  to  day,  their  laborious  masses, 
seemingly  unconscious  of  any  other  duty  or  obli^ition  of 
Lfo. 


220  INQUISITION  OF  GOA. 

"The  clay  was  now  far  spent,  and  my  companio'is  were 
about  to  leave  me.  While  I  was  considering  whether  1  should 
return  with  them,  Major  Pareira  said  he  would  first  introduce 
me  to  a  priest,  high  in  office,  and  one  of  the  most  learned  men 
in  the  place.  We  accordingly  walked  to  the  convent  of  the 
Augustinians,  where  I  was  presented  to  Josephus  a  Doloribus, 
a  man  well  advanced  in  life,  of  pale  visage,  and  penetrating 
eye,  rather  of  a  reverend  appearance,  and  possessing  great 
fluency  of  speech  and  urbanity  of  manners.  At  first  sight  he 
presented  the  aspect  of  one  of  those  acute  and  prudent  men  of 
the  world,  the  learned  and  respectable  Italian  Jesuits,  some  of 
whom  are  yet  found,  since  the  demolition  of  their  order,  repo- 
sing in  tranquil  obscurity,  in  different  parts  of  the  East.  After 
half  an  hour's  conversation  in  the  Latin  language,  during 
v/hich  he  adverted  rapidly  to  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  inquired 
concerning  some  learned  men  of  his  own  church,  v»'hom  1  had 
visited  in  my  tour,  he  politely  invited  me  to  take  up  my  resi- 
dence with  him  during  my  stay  at  Old  Goa.  I  was  highly 
gratified  by  this  unexpected  invitation ;  but  Lieutenant  Kemp- 
thorne  did  not  approve  of  leaving  me  in  the  hands  of  the  In 
quisitor:  For  judge  our  surprise,  when  we  discovered  that 
my  learned  host  was  one  of  tlie  Inquisitors  of  the  holy  office, 
the  second  member  of  that  august  tribunal  in  rank,  but  the  first 
and  most  active  agent  in  the  business  of  the  department. 
Apartments  were  assigned  to  me  in  the  college  adjoining  the 
convent,  next  to  the  rooms  of  the  Inquisitor  himself;  and  here 
I  have  been  four  days  at  the  very  fountain-head  of  informa- 
tion, in  regard  to  those  subjects  which  I  wished  to  investigate. 
I  breakfast  and  dine  with  the  Inquisitor  almost  every  day,  and 
he  generally  passes  his  evenings  in  my  apartment.  As  he 
considers  my  inquiries  to  be  chiefly  of  a  literary  nature,  he  is 
perfectly  candid  and  communicative  on  all  subjects. 

"Next  day  after  my  arrival,  I  was  introduced  by  my  learned 
conductor  to  the  Archbishop  of  Goa.  We  found  him  rt  iding 
the  Latin  Letters  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.  On  my  advert- 
ing to  the  long  duration  of  the  city  of  Goa,  while  other 
cities  of  Europeans  in  India  had  suffered  from  war  or  revolu- 
tion, the  Archbishop  observed  that  the  preservation  of  Goa 
was  ^owing  to  the  prayers  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.'  The  In- 
quisitor looked  at  me  to  see  what  I  thought  of  this  sentiment. 
I  acknowledged  that  Xavier  was  considered  by  the  learned 
among  the  English  to  have  been  a  fjreat  man.  What  he  wrote 
himself  bespeaks  him  a  man  of  learning,  of  original  gen  us, 
and  great  fortitude  of  mind;  but  what  others  have  written  for 


INQUISITION  OF  COA.  221 

him  and  of  him,  has  tarnished  his  fame,  by  making  him  the 
inventor  of  i  ibles.  The  Archbishop  signified  his  assent.  JTo 
afterwards  ( onductcd  me  into  his  private  chapel,  which  is  de- 
corated witn  images  of  silver,  and  then  into  the  Archiepis- 
copal  Library,  wlvch  possesses  a  valuable  collection  of  books. 
As  1  passed  through  our  convent,  in  returning  from  the  Arch 
bishop'«^  I  observed  among  the  paintings  in  the  cloisters  a 
portrait  of  the  famous  Alexis  de  Menezes,  Archbishop  of  Goa, 
who  b  3ld  the  Synod  of  Diamper  near  Cochin  in  1599,  and 
burned  the  books  of  the  Syrian  Christians.  From  the  in- 
scription underneath,  I  learned  that  he  was  the  founder 
of  the  magnificent  church  and  convent  in  which  I  am  now 
residing." 

"On  the  same  day  I  received  an  invitation  to  dine  with  the 
chief  Inquisitor,  at  his  house  in  the  country.  The  second 
Inquisitor  accompanied  me,  and  we  found  a  respectable  com- 
pany of  priests,  and  a  sumptuous  entertainment.  In  the  libra- 
ry of  the  chief  Inquisitor,  1  saw  a  register  containing  the 
present  establishment  of  the  Inquisition  at  Goa,  and  the 
names  of  all  the  officers.  On  my  asking  the  chief  Inquisitor 
whether  the  establishment  was  as  extensive  as  formerly,  he 
said  it  was  nearly  the  same,  I  had  hitherto  said  little  to  any 
person  concerning  the  Inquisition,  but  I  had  indirectly  gleaned 
much  information  concerning  it,  not  only  from  the  Inquisitors 
themselves,  but  from  certain  priests,  whom  I  visited  at  their 
respective  convents;  particularly  from  a  Father  in  the  Fran- 
ciscan Convent,  who  had  himself  repeatedly  witnessed  an 
Auto  da  Fe." 

'' Goa,  Augustinian  Convent,  26t7i  Jan.  ISOS. 
"  On  Sunday,  after  Divine  Service,  which  I  attended,  we  * 
looked  over  together  the  prayers  and  portions  of  Scripture  for 
the  day,  which  led  to  a  discussion  concerning  some  of  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity.  We  then  read  the  third  chapter  of 
St.  John''s  Gospel,  in  the  Latin  Vulgate.  I  asked  the  Inquisi- 
tor whether  he  believed  in  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  there 
spoken  of  He  distinctly  admitted  it;  conjointly  hov»xver  he 
thought  in  some  obscure  sense  with  v/ater.  I  observed  that 
water  was  merely  an  emblem  of  the  purifying  effects  of  the 
Spirit,  and  could  be  but  an  emblem.  We  next  adverted  to 
the  expression  of  St.  John  in  his  first  epistle,  '  This  is  be  that 
came  by  water  and  blood:  even  Jesus  Christ;  not  by  fvater 
only,  but  by  water  and  blood :' — blood  to  atone  for  sin,  and 
water   to  purify   the   heart;    justification  and  sanctifjcaiion, 

t2 


222  iNansTTioN  of  go  a. 

both  of  which  were  expressed  at  the  same  moment  on  the 
cross.  The  inquisitor  was  pleased  with  the  sul  jeet.  1  refer^ 
red  to  the  evangelical  doctrines  of  Augustin  (we  were  now  in 
the  Aiigustinian  i  onvent)  plainly  asserted  by  that  father  in  a 
tnousand  places,  and  he  acknowledged  their  truth.  I  then 
asked  him  in  what  important  doctrine  he  differed  from  the 
protestant  church  ?  He  confessed  that  he  never  had  had  a  theo- 
logical discussion  with  a  protestant  before.  By  an  easy  tran 
sition  we  passed  to  the  importance  of  the  Bible  itself,  to 
illuminate  the  priests  and  people.  I  noticed  to  him,  that  after 
looking  through  the  colleges  and  schools,  there  appeared  to 
me  to  be  a  total  eclipse  of  Scriptural  light.  He  acknowl- 
edged that  religion  and  learning  were  truly  in  a  degraded 
state.  I  had  visited  the  theological  schools,  and  at  every 
place  I  expressed  my  surprise  to  the  tutors,  in  presence  of 
the  pupils,  at  the  absence  of  the  Bible  and  almost  total  want 
of  reference  to  it.  They  pleaded  the  custom  of  the  place, 
and  the  scarcity  of  copies  of  the  book  itself.  Some  of  the 
younger  priests  came  to  me  afterwards,  desiring  to  know 
by  what  means  they  might  procure  copies.  This  inquiry  for 
Bibles  was  like  a  ray  of  hope  beaming  on  the  walls  of  the 
Inquisition. 

"  I  pass  an  hour  sometimes  in  the  spacious  library  of  the 
Augustinian  convent.  There  are  many  rare  volumes,  but 
they  are  chiefly  theological,  and  almost  all  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  There  are  few  classics;  and  I  have  not  yet  seen 
one  copy  of  the  original  Scriptures  in  Hebrew  or  Greek." 

Goa,  Angustinian  Convent,  27th,  Jan.  1808. 

"On  the  second  morning  after  my  arrival,  I  was  surprised 
by  my  host,  the  Inquisitor,  coming  into  my  apartment  clothed 
in  black  robes  from  head  to  foot;  for  the  usual  dress  of  his 
order  is  white.  He  said  he  was  going  to  sit  on  the  tribunal 
of  the  Holy  Office.  '  I  presume,  Father,  your  august  office 
does  not  occupy  much  of  your  time.'  *  Yes,' answered  he^ 
'much.     I  sit  on  the  tribunal  three  or  four  daj-s  every  week.' 

"  I  had  thought,  for  some  days,  of  putting  Dellon's  book 
Jnto  the  Inquisitor's  hands;  for  if  I  could  get  him  to  advert 
to  the  facts  stated  in  that  book,  I  should  be  able  to  learn,  by 
comparison,  the  exact  state  of  the  Inquisition  at  the  present 
time.  In  the  evening  he  came  in,  as  usual,  to  pass  an  hour 
m  my  apartment.  After  some  conversation,  I  took  the  pen 
in  my  hand  ,o  write  a  few  notes  in  my  journal ;  and,  as  if  to 
amuso  him,  while  I   was  writing,  I  took  up  Dellon's  book, 


INftUISITION  OF  GOA.  223 

which  was  lyirg  with  some  others  on  the  table^  and  handing 
it  across  to  him,  asked  him  whether  he  had  ever  seen  it.  It 
was  i^A  the  French  language,  which  he  understood  well. — 
'Relation  de  I'Inquisiiion  de  Goa,'  pronounced  he,  with  a 
slow  articulate  voice.  He  had  never  seen  it  before,  and  began 
to  read  with  eagerness.  He  had  not  proceeded  flir,  before  he 
betrayed  evident  symptoms  of  uneasiness.  He  turned  hastily 
to  t^e  middle  of  the  book,  and  then  to  the  end,  and  then  ran 
over  the  table  of  contents  at  the  beginning,  as  if  to  ascertain 
tb*^  full  extent  of  the  evil.  He  then  composed  himself  to  read, 
Wiiile  I  continued  to  write.  He  turned  over  the  pages  with  ra- 
pidity, and  when  he  came  to  a  certain  place,  he  exclaimed  in 
the  broad  Italian  accent  'Mendacium,  Mendacium.'  Ire- 
quested  he  would  mark  those  passages  which  were  untrue, 
and  we  should  discuss  theirt  afterwards,  for  that  I  had  other 
books  on  the  subject.  'Otiier  books,'  said  he,  and  he  looked 
with  an  enquiring  eye  on  those  on  the  table.  He  continued 
reading  till  it  was  time  to  retire  to  rest,  and  then  begged  to 
take  the  book  with  him. 

It  was  on  this  night  that  a  circumstance  happened  which 
caused  my  first  alarm  at  Goa.  My  servants  slept  every  night 
at  my  chamber  door,  in  the  long  gallery  which  is  common  to 
all  the  apartments,  and  not  far  distant  from  the  servants  of 
the  convent.  About  midnight  I  was  awaked  by  loud  shrieks 
and  expressions  of  terror,  from  some  person  in  the  gallery. 
In  the  first  moment  of  surprise,  I  concluded  it  must  be  the 
Algnazils  of  the  holy  office,  seizing  my  servants  to  carry  them 
to  the  Inquisition.  But,  on  going  out,  I  saw  my  own  servants 
standing  at  the  door,  and  the  person  who  had  caused  the 
alarm  (a  boy  of  about  fourteen)  at  a  little  distance,  surround- 
ed by  some  of  the  priests,  who  had  come  out  of  their  cells  on 
hearing  the  noise.  The  boy  said  he  had  seen  a  spectre, 
and  it  was  a  considerable  time  before  the  agitation  of  his 
body  and  voice  subsided.  Next  morning  at  breakfast  the  In- 
quisitor apologized  for  the  disturbance,  and  said  tne  boy's 
alarm  proceeded  from  a  phantasma  animi,'  a  phantasm  of  the 
imagination. 

"After  breakfast  we  resumed  the  subject  of  the  Inquisition. 
The  Inquisitor  admitted  that  Dellon's  descriptions  of  the  dun- 
geons, of  the  torture,  of  the  mode  of  trial,  and  of  the  Auto 
da  Fe,  were,  in  general,  just;  but  he  said  the  writer  judged 
untruly  of  the  motives  of  the  Inquisitors,  and  very  uncharita 
biy  of  the  character  of  the  Holy  Church ;  and  I  admitted  that, 
under  the  pressure  o'  his  peculiar  suffering,  this  might  possi- 


Sr^4  INQUISITION   OF   GOA. 

bly  be  the  case.  The  Inquisitor  was  now  anxious  to  know  to 
what  extent  Dellon's  book  had  been  circulated  in  Europe.  1 
told  him  that  Picart  had  published  to  the  world  extracts  from 
it,  in  his  celebrated  work  called  'Religious  Ceremonies;'  to- 
gether with  plates  of  the  system  of  torture  and  burnings  at 
the  Auto  da  Fe.  I  added  that  it  was  now  generally  believed 
in  Europe,  that  these  enormities  no  longer  existed,  and  that 
the  Inquisition  itself  had  been  totally  suppressed;  but  that  I 
was  concerned  to  find  that  this  was  not  the  case.  He  now 
began  a  grave  narration  to  show  that  the  inquisition  had  un- 
dergone a  change  in  some  respects,  and  that  its  terrors  were 
mitigated."* 

*The  following  were  the  passages  in  Mr.  Dollon's  narrative,  to  which  I 
wished  particularly  to  draw  the  attenti-^n  of  the  Inquisitor.  Mr.  D  had  been 
thrown  into  the  Inquisition  at  Goa,  and  confined  in  a  dungeon,  ten  feet  square, 
where  he  remained  upwards  of  two  years,  without  seeing  any  person,  but  the 
gaoler  who  brought  him  his  victuals,  except  when  he  was  brought  to  his  trial, 
expecting  daily  to  be  brought  to  the  slake.  His  alleged  crime  was,  charging 
the  Inquisition  with  cruelty,  in  a  conversation  he  had  with  a  Priest  at  Daman, 
another  part  of  India. 

"  During  tlie  months  of  November  and  December,  I  heard  every  morning, 
the  shrieks  of  the  unfortunate  victims,  \\  ho  were  undergoing  the  (Question.  1 
remembered  to  have  heard,  before  I  was  cast  into  prison,  that  the  Auto  da  Fe 
was  generally  celebrated  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent,  because  on  that  day 
is  read  in  the  Churches  that  part  of  the  Gospel  in  which  mention  is  made  of 
the  LAST  JUDGMEf?T;  and  the  Inquisitors  pretend  by  this  ceremony  to  exiiibit 
a  living  emblem  of  that  awful  event.  I  was  likewise  convinced  that  there 
were  a  great  number  of  prisoners,  besides  myself;  the  profound  silence,  which 
reigned  within  the  walls  of  the  building,  having  enabled  me  to  count  the  num- 
Der  of  doors  which  were  opened  at  the  hours  of  meals.  However,  the  first 
and  second  Sundays  of  Advent  passed  by  without  my  hearing  of  any  thing, 
and  I  prepared  to  undergo  another  year  of  melancholy  captivity,  when  I  was 
aroused  from  my  despair  on  the  11th  of  January,  by  the  noise  of  the  guards 
removing  tlie  bars  from  the  doors  of  my  prison.  The  Alcaide  presented  me 
with  a  habit,  which  he  ordered  me  to  put  on,  and  make  myself  ready  to  at- 
tend him  when  he  should  come  again.  Thus  sayhig,  he  left  a  lighted  lamp 
in  my  dungeon.  The  guards  returned,  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
led  me  out  into  a  long  galleiy,  where  I  found  a  number  of  the  companions  of 
my  fate,  drawn  up  in  a  rank  against  a  wall :  I  placed  myself  among  the  rest, 
and  several  more  soon  joined  the  melancholy  baud.  The  profourd  silence 
and  stillness  caused  them  to  resemble  statues  more  than  the  animated  bodies  of 
human  creatures.  Tiie  women,  who  were  clothed  in  a  similar  manner,  were 
placed  in  a  neighboring  gallery,  where  we  could  not  see  them  ;  but  I  remarked 
that  a  number  of  persons  stood  b}-^  themselves  at  some  distance,  attended  by 
others  who  wore  long  black  dresses,  and  who  walked  backwards  and  forward i 
occasionally.  I  did  not  then  know  v.ho  these  were  :  but  I  was  aftewards  in- 
formed that  the  former  were  the  victims  who  were  condemned  to  be  bumi 
and  the  others  were  their  confessors. 

''  After  we  were  all  ranged  against  the  wall  of  this  galleiy,  we  received  eac  , 

lai^e  wax  taper.     They  then  brought  us  a  number  of  dresses  made  of  ye« 


INQUKITION  OF  GOA.  225 

»'l  had  airrady  discovered,  from  writ'tn  or  printed  docu- 
monts,  that  the  Inquisition  at  Goa  was  suppressed  by  Royal 
Edict  in  th«  year  1775,  and  established  again  in  1779.  The 
Franciscan  Father  before  mentioned,  witnessed  the  annual 
Auto  da  Fe,  from  1770  to  1775.  'It  was  the  humanity  and 
tender  mercy  of  a  good  King,**  said  the  old  Father,  nMiich 
abolished  the  Inquisition.'  But  immediately  on  his  death,  the 
vower  of  the  priests  acquired  the  ascendant,  under  the  Queen 
Jowager,  and  the  tribunal  was  re-established,  after  a  bloodless 
nterval  of  five  years.  It  has  continued  in  operation  ever  since, 
it  was  restored  in  1779,  subject  to  certain  restrictions,  the  chiet 
of  which  are  the  two  following :    '  That  a  greater  number  of 

low  cloth,  with  the  cross  of  St.  Andrew  painted  before  and  beliiud.  This  is 
called  the  San  Benito.  'Vhe  relapsed  heretics  wear  another  species  of  robe, 
railed  the  Samaria^  the  ground  of  wliich  is  grey.  Tiic  portrait  of  the  sufter- 
er  is  painted  upon  it,  placed  upon  bumuig  torches  with  flames  and  demons 
id)  round.  Caps  were  then  produced,  called  Carrochas;  made  of  pasteboard5 
pointed  iike  sugar-loaves,  all  covered  over  with  devils  and  flames  of  fire. 

"'J'he  great  bell  of  the  Cathedral  began  to  ring  a  little  before  sunrise,  which 
served  as  a  ^ignal  to  warn  the  people  of  God  to  come  and  behold  the  august 
ceremony  of  the  Auto  da  Fe;  and  tlien  they  made  us  proceed  from  the  gal- 
ler}'  one  by  one.  1  remarked  as  we  passed  into  the  great  hall,  that  the  In- 
qui^itor  was  sitting  at  the  door  with  his  secretary  by  him,  and  that  he  deliver 
ed  every  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  a  particular  person,  wlio  is  to  be  his  guard 
to  the  place  of  buruiiig.  These  persons  are  called  Tarrains,  or  GodJaliLcrs 
My  Godfather  was  the  commander  of  a  ship.  I  went  forth  witli  him,  and  as 
soon  as  we  were  in  the  street,  I  saw  that  the  procession  was  commenced  by 
the  Dominican  Friars,  who  have  this  honor,  because  St.  Dominic  founded  the 
Inquisition.  These  are  followed  by  the  prisoners,  who  walk  one  after  the  oth- 
er, each  having  Iris  Godfather  by  his  side,  and  a  lighted  taper  h.  his  hand. 
The  least  guilty  go  foremost;  and  as  I  did  not  pass  for  one  of  them,  tlicre 
were  many  who  took  precedence  of  me.  The  women  were  mixed  promiscu- 
ously with  the  men.  We  all  walked  barefoot,  and  the  sharp  stones  of  the 
streets  of  Goa  wounded  my  tender  feet,  and  caused  the  blood  to  stream ;  for 
tliey  made  us  march  througli  the  chief  sUeets  of  tlie  city;  and  we  were  regar- 
ded every  where  by  an  innumerable  crowd  of  people,  who  had  assembled  from 
all  parts  of  India  to  behold  this  spectacle  ;  for  the  Inquisition  takes  [tains  to 
announce  it  long  before,  in  the  most  remote  parishes.  At  length  we  arrived 
at  the  church  of  St.  Francis,  which  was,  for  tliis  time,  destined  for  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Act  of  Faith.  On  one  side  of  the  Altar,  was  the  Grand  In- 
quisitor and  his  Counsellors,  and  on  the  other  the  Viceroy  of  Goa  and  h'A 
'  Court.  All  the  prisoners  are  seated  to  hear  a  sermon.  I  observed  that  those 
piisoners  who  wore  the  horrible  Carrochas  came  in  last  in  the  procession. 
One  of  tlie  Augustan  Monks  asccxided  the  pulpit,  and  preached  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour.  Tiie  sermon  being  concluded,  two  readers  went  up  to  the  pulpit, 
one  after  the  other,  and  read  the  sentences  of  the  prisoners.  My  joy  was  ex- 
treme, when  I  heard  that  mv  sentence  was  not  to  be  burnt,  but  to  be  a  galley 
riave  for  five  years.  After  the  sentences  were  read,  they  summoned  ft  rth 
fiiose  miserable  victims  who  were  destined  to  he  imir  jla'.ed  by  the  Udlj  In- 
quisi^cia      The  waages  of  the  heretics  who  had   died  ii  ^.yison  were  brought 


226  ixansiTioN   »f  goa. 

witnesses  should  be  required  to  convict  a  crimina  than  weie 
before  necessary;'  and,  'That  the  Auto  da  Fe  should  not  be 
held  publicly  as  before;  but  that  the  sentences  of  the  Tribunal 
should  be  executed  privately,  within  ?he  walls  of  the  Inqui- 
sition.' 

"  In  this  particular,  the  constitution  -.f  the  new  Inquisition 
is  more  reprehensible  than  that  of  the  old  one ;  for,  as  the  old 
Father  expressed  it,  'Nunc  sigillum  non  reve.at  Inquisitio.' 
Formerly  the  friends  of  those  unfortunate  persons  who  were 
thrown  into  its  prison,  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing them  once  a  year  walking  in  the  procession  of  the  Auto 
daFe;  or,  if  they  were  condemned  to  die,  they  witnessed 
their  death,  and  mourned  for  the  dead.  But  now  they  have 
no  means  of  learning  for  years  whether  they  be  dead  or  alive. 
The  policy  of  this  new  code  of  concealment  appears  to  be  this, 
to  preserve  the  power  of  the  Inquisition,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  lessen  the  public  odium  of  its  proceedings,  in  the  presence 
of  British  dominion  and  civilization.  I  asked  the  Father 
his  opinion  concerning  the  nature  and  frequency  of  the  pun- 
ishment within  the  walls.  He  said  he  possessed  no  certain 
means  of  giving  a  satisfactory  answer;  that  every  thing  tran- 
sacted there  was  declared  to  be  'sacrum  et  secretum.'  But 
this  he  knew  to  be  true,  that  there  were  constantly  captives  in 
the  dungeons ;  that  some  of  them  are  liberated  after  long  con- 
finement, but  that  they  never  speak  afterwards  of  what  pass- 
ed within  the  place.  He  added  that,  of  all  the  persons  he  had 
known,  who  had  been  liberated,  he  never  knew  one  who  did 
not  carry  about  with  him  what  might  be  called,  '  the  mark  of 
the  Inquisition ;'  that  is  to  say,  who  did  not  show,  in  the  solem- 
nity of  his  countenance,  or  in  his  peculiar  demeanor,  or  his 
terror  of  the  priests,  that  he  had  been  in  that  dreadful  place. 

up  at  the  same  time,  their  bones  being  contained  in  small  chests,  covered  witli 
flames  and  demons.  An  officer  of  the  secular  tribunal  now  came  forward, 
and  seized  thBse  unhappy  people,  after  they  had  eacn  received  a  slight  bloio  upo^i 
the  breast,  from  the  Alcaide,  to  intimate  that  they  were  abandoned.  They 
were  then  led  away  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  Viceroy  and  his  Court 
were  assembled,  and  where  the  faggots  had  been  prepared  the  preceding  day. 
As  soon  as  they  arrive  at  this  place,  the  condemned  persons  are  asked  in  what 
religion  they  choose  to  die ;  and  the  moment  they  have  replied  to  this  question, 
the  executioner  seizes  them,  and  \  Jnds  them  to  a  stake  in  the  midst  of  the 
faggots.  The  day  after  the  execution,  the  portraits  of  the  dead  are, carried  to 
the  Church  of  Dominicans.  The  heads  only  are  represented  (which  are  gen- 
rally  very  accurately  drawn;  for  the  Inquisition  keeps 'excellent  limners  for 
the  purpose,)  surrounded  by  flames  and  demons;  and  undernea'h  is  the  name 
and  crime  of  the  person  who  had  been  bunied." — Relation  ce  f  Inquisition 
4e  Goa,  chap.  xxiv. 


nvauii  T:o?f  oi-  goa.  227 

"The  chief  argument  of  tnc  Inquisitor,  to  prove  the  melio- 
ration of  the  Int^uisition,  was  the  superior  humanity  of  the  In- 
quisitors. I  remarked  that  I  did  not  doubt  the  humanity  of 
the  existing  officers;  but  what  availed  humanity  in  an  Inquis- 
itor? he  must  pronounce  sentence  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
Tribunal,  which  are  notorious  enough ;  and  a  relapsed  Heretic 
must  be  burned  in  the  flames,  or  confined  for  life  in  a  dungeon, 
whether  the  Inquisitor  be  humane  or  not.  But  if,  said  I,  you 
would  satisfy  my  mind  completely  on  this  subject,  *show  me 
the  Inquisition.'  He  said  it  was  not  permitted  to  any  person 
to  see  the  Inquisition.  I  observed  that  mine  might  be  consid- 
ered a  peculiar  case;  that  the  character  of  the  Inquisition,  and 
the  expediency  of  its  long  continuance,  had  been  called  in 
question;  that  I  myself  had  written  on  the  civilization  of  India, 
and  might  possibly  publish  something  more  on  the  subject, 
and  that  it  could  not  be  expected  that  I  should  pass  over  the 
Inquisition  without  notice,  knowing  what  I  did  of  its  proceed- 
ings; at  the  same  time  I  should  not  wish  to  state  a  single  fact 
without  his  authority,  or  at  least  his  admission  of  its  truth.  I 
added,  that  he  himself  had  been  pleased  to  communicate  with 
me  very  fully  on  the  subject,  and  that  in  all  our  discussions 
we  had  both  been  actuated,  I  hoped,  by  a  good  purpose.  The 
countenance  of  the  Inquisitor  evidently  altered  on  receiving 
this  intimation,  nor  did  it  ever  after  wholly  regam  its  wonted 
frankness  and  placidity.  After  some  hesitation,  however,  he 
said,  he  would  take  me  with  him  to  the  Inquisition  the  nex- 
day.  I  was  a  good  deal  surprised  at  this  acquiescence  of  thj 
Inquisitor,  but  I  did  not  know  what  was  in  his  mind. 

"Next  morning,  after  breakfast,  my  host  went  to  dress  for 
the  Holy  Office,  and  soon  returned  in  his  inquisitorial  robes. 
He  said  he  would  go  half  an  hour  before  the  usual  time,  for 
fie  purpose  of  showing  me  the  Inquisition.  The  buildings  are 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the  convent,  and  we 
proceeded  thither  in  our  Manjeels*  On  our  arrival  at  the 
place,  the  inquisitor  said  to  me,  as  we  were  ascending  the 
steps  of  the  outer  stair,  that  he  hoped  I  should  be  satisfied 
with  a  transient  view  of  the  inquisition,  and  that  I  would  re 
tire  whenever  he  should  desire  it.  I  took  this  as  a  good  omen, 
and  followed  my  conductor  with  tolerable  confidence. 

*  The  Manjeel  is  a  kind  of  Palankeen  common  at  Goa.  It  is  merely  a  sea 
cot  suspended  from  a  bamboo,  which  is  borne  on  He  heads  of  four  men. 
Sometimes  a  footman  runs  before,  having  a  stcfF  in  his  hand,  to  which  are  at- 
tached little  bells  or  rings,  which  he  jingles  as  le  runs^  keeping  tans  \\ith  th« 
niouon  of  the  beare.So 


228  INQUISITION  OF  COA. 

"He  led  me  first  to  the  great  hall  of  the  Ir  inisition.     We 
were  met  at  the   door  by  a  number  oi*  p,  ell-dressed  persons, 
'"vho,  I  afterwards  understood,  were  the  timiliars,  and  attend- 
a2,*s  of  the  Holy  Office:   They  bowed  very  low  to  the  inquisi- 
tor, and  looked  with   surprise  at  me.     the  great  hall  is  the 
place  in  which  the  prisoners  are  marshalled  for  the  precession 
of  the  Auto  da  Fe.     At  the  procession  described  by  Dellon,  in 
which   he  himself  walked  barefoot,  clothed  Vvith  the  pamted 
^"ferment,  there  were  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  prison 
ers.     1  traversed  this  hall  for  sometime,  with  a  slow  step,  re 
fleeting  on  its  former  scenes;  the    inquisitor  walked  by  my 
side,  in  silence.     I  thought  of  the  fate  of  the  multitude  of  my 
fellow-creatures  who  had  passed  through  this  place,  condemned 
by  a  tribunal  of  their  fellow-sinners,  their  bodies  devoted  to 
the  flames,  and  their  souls  to  perdition.     And  I  could  not  help 
saying  to  him,   *  Would  not  the  holy  church  wish,  in  her  mer- 
cy, to  have  those  souls  back  again,  that  she  might  allow  them 
a  little  further  probation?'     The  inquisitor  answered  nothing, 
but  beckoned  me  to  go  with  him  to  a   door  at  one  end  of  the 
hall.     By  this  door  he  conducted  me  to  some  small  rooms,  ar.d 
thence  to  the  spacious  apartments  of  the  chief  inquisitor.     Hav- 
ing surveyed  these,  he  brought  me  back  again  to  the  great 
hall;  and"  I  thought  he  seemed  now  desirous  that  I  should  de- 
part.    '  Now,  Father,'  said  I, '  lead  me  to  the  dungeons  below, 
I  want  to  see  the  captives.'     *  No,'   said  he,  '  that  cannot  be.' 
I  now  began  to  suspect  that  it  had  been  in  the  mind  of  the  in- 
quisitor, from  the  beginning,  to  show  me  only  a  certain  part 
of  the  inquisition,  in  the  hope  of  satisfying  my  inquiries  in  a 
general  way.     I  urged  him  with  earnestness,  but  he  steadily 
resisted,  and  seemed  to  be  offended,  or  rather  agitated,  by  my 
importunity.     I  intimated  to  him  plainly,  that  the  only  way  to 
do  justice  to  his  own  assertions  and  arguments,  regarding  the 
present  state  of  the  Inquisition,  was  to  shew  me  the  prisons 
and  captives.     I  should  then  describe  only  what  I  saw^ ;  but 
now  the  subject  was  left  in  awful  obscurity.     '  Lead  me  down,' 
said  I,  '  to  the  inner  building,  and  let  me  pass  through  the  two 
hundred  dungeons,  ten  feet  square,  described  by  your  former 
captives.     Let  m.e  >Dunt  the  number  of  your  present  captives 
and  converse  with  tnem.     I  w  int  to  see  if  there  are  any  sub- 
jects of  the  British  government,  to  whom  we  owe  protection. 
I  want  to  ask  how  long  they  have  been  here,  how  long  it  is 
since  they  beheld  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  whether  they  ever 
expect  to  see  it  again.     Show  me  1  he  chamber  of  Torture ;  and 
declare  what  modes  of  ext  cution  or  of  pui  ishment,  are  now 


EN'aUISITION  OF  GO  A.  229 

pract  »ed  witliin  the  walls  of  the  Inquisition  in  lieu  of  the 
public  Auto  da  Fe.  li\  after  all  that  has  passed,  Father,  you 
resist  this  reasonable  request,  I  shall  be  ju.«*hied  in  believing 
that  you  are  atVaid  of  exposing  tlie  real  state  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion in  India.'  To  these  observations  the  inquisitor  made  no 
reply;  but  seemed  impatient  that  I  should  withdraw.  'My 
good  Father,'  said  I,  '1  am  about  to  take  my  leave  of  you,  and 
thank  you  for  your  hospitable  attentions,  (it  had  been  before 
understood  that  I  should  take  my  final  leave  at  the  door  of  the 
Inquisition,  after  having  seen  the  interior,)  and  I  wish  always 
'o  preserve  on  my  mind  a  favorable  sentiment  of  your  kind- 
•less  and  candor.  You  cannot,  you  say,  show  me  the  captives 
and  the  dungeons;  be  pleased  then  merely  to  answer  this 
question,  for  I  shall  believe  your  word:  How  many  prisoners 
are  there  now  below,  in  the  cells  of  the  Inquisition?-'  The 
inquisitor  replied,  'That  is  a  question  which  I  cannot  answer.' 
On  his  pronouncing  these  words,  I  retired  hastily  towards  the 
door,  and  wished  him  farewell.'  We  shook  hands  with  as 
mucli  cordiality  as  we  could  at  the  moment  assume ;  and  both 
of  us,  I  believe,  were  sorry  that  our  parting  took  place  with  a 
clouded  countenance. 

"From  the  Inquisition  I  went  to  the  place  of  burning  in  the 
Campo  Santo  Lazaro,  on  the  river  side,  where  the  victims 
were  brought  to  the  stake  at  the  Auto  da  Fe.  It  is  close  to  the 
palace,  that  tke  Viceroy  and  his  court  may  witness  the  execu- 
tion; for  it  has  ever  been  the  policy  of  the  inquisition  to  make 
these  spiritual  executions  appear  to  be  the  executions  of  the 
state.  An  old  priest  accompanied  me,  w  ho  pointed  out  the 
place,  and  described  the  scene.  As  I  passed  over  this  melan- 
choly plain,  I  thought  of  the  difference  between  the  pure  and 
benign  doctrine,  which  was  first  preached  to  India  in  the  Apos- 
tolic age,  and  that  bloody  code,  which  after  a  long  night  of 
darkness,  was  announced  to  it  under  the  same  name !  And  I 
pondered  on  the  mysterious  dispensation,  which  permitted  the 
ministers  of  the  inquisition,  with  their  racks  and  flames,  to 
visit  these  lands,  before  the  heralds  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace. 
But  the  most  painful  reflection  was,  that  this  tribunal  should 
yet  exist,  unaw^ed  by  the  vicinity  of  British  humanity  and  do- 
minion. I  was  not  satisfied  with  what  I  had  seen  or  said  at 
the  Inquisition,  and  I  determined  to  go  back  again.  The  in- 
quisitors were  now  sitting  on  the  tribunal,  and  I  had  some  ex- 
cuse for  returning;  for  I  was  to  receive  from  the  chief  inqi  isi- 
^r  a  letter  v/'iich  he  said  he  would  give  me,  hefi  re  I  left  .he 
U 


230  INQUISITION  OF  GOA. 

place,  for  the  British  Rssident  in  Travancore,  being  an  answer 
to  a  letter  from  that  oflicer. 

"When  I  arrived  at  the  Inquisition,  and  had  ascended  the 
outer  stairs-  the  door-keepers  surveyed  me  doubtingly,  but 
suffered  me  to  pass,  supposing  that  I  had  returned  by  permis- 
sion and  appointment  of  the  inquisitor.  1  entered  the  great 
hall,  and  went  up  directly  towards  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion^ described  by  Dellon,  in  which  is  the  lofty  crucifix.  I  sat 
down  on  a  form  and  wrote  some  notes;  and  then  desired  one 
of  the  attendants  to  carry  in  my  name  to  the  inquisitor.  As  I 
walked  up  the  hall,  I  saw  a  poor  woman  sitting  by  herself,  on 
a  bench  by  the  wall,  apparently  in  a  disconsolate  state  of 
mind.  She  clasped  her  hands  as  I  passed,  and  gave  me  a  look 
expressive  of  her  distress.  This  sight  chilled  my  spirits.  The 
familiars  told  me  she  was  waiting  there  to  be  called  up  before 
the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition.  While  I  was  asking  questions 
concerning  her  crime,  the  second  inquisitor  came  out  in  evi- 
dent trepidation,  and  was  about  to  complain  of  the  intrusionj 
when  I  informed  him  that  I  had  come  back  for  the  letter  froii 
the  chief  inquisitor.  He  said  it  should  be  sent  after  me  to 
Goa;  and  he  conducted  me  with  a  quick  step  towards  the  door. 
As  we  passed  the  poor  woman,  I  pointed  to  her,  and  said,  with 
some  emphasis,  'Behold,  Father,  another  victim  of  the  holy 
Inquisition!'  He  answered  nothing  When  we  arrived  at  the 
head  of  the  great  stair,  he  bowed,  and  I  took  my  last  leave 
of  Josephus  a  Doloribus,  without  uttering  a  word. 


Note. — The  Inquisition  of  Goa  was  tbclished  in  the  month 
of  October,  1812. 


THE 

INaUISITION  AT  MACERATA, 

IN  ITALY 

Narrative  of  Mr.  Boii-er,  who  gives  an  account  of  /his  Court  oj 
Inquisition^  and  of  secrets  hitherto  unknou  n,  rthative  to  their 
^proceedings  against  heretics. 

[Meth.  Mag  3d  Vol.] 

"  I  never  (says  Mr.  Bower,)  pretended  that  it  was  for  the 
sake  of  religion  alone,  that  I  left  Italy;  but  on  the  contrary, 
have  often  declared,  as  all  my  friends  can  attest,  that,  had  I 
never  belonged  to  the  Inquisition,  I  should  have  gone  on,  as 
most  Roman  Catholics  do,  without  ever  questioning  the  truth 
of  the  religion  I  was  brought  up  in,  or  thinking  of  any  other. 
But  the  unheard  of  cruelties  of  that  hellish  tribunal  shocked 
me  beyond  all  expression,  and  rendered  me,  as  I  was  obliged, 
by  my  office  of  Counsellor,  to  be  accessary  to  them,  one  oi 
the  most  unhappy  men  upon  earth.  I  therefore  began  to  think 
of  resigning  my  office;  but  as  I  had  on  several  occasions,  be- 
trayed some  weakness,  as  they  termed  it,  that  is,  some  com- 
passion and  humanity,  and  had  upon  that  account  been  repri- 
manded by  the  Inquisitor,  I  was  well  apprized,  that  my  resig- 
nation would  be  ascribed  by  him  to  my  disapproving  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  holy  tribunal.  And  indeed,  to  nothing  else 
could  he  have  ascribed  it,  as  a  place  at  that  board  was  a  sure 
way  to  preferment,  and  attended  with  great  privileges,  and  a 
considerable  salary.  Being,  therefore,  sensible  how  danger- 
ous a  thing  it  would  be  to  give  the  least  ground  to  any  suspi- 
cion of  that  nature,  and  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  sight  of  the 
many  barbarities  practised  almost  daily  within  those  walls, 
nor  the  reproaches  of  my  conscience  in  being  accessary  to 
them,  I  determined,  after  many  restless  nights,  and  much  de 
liberation  with  myself,  to  withdraw  at  the  same  time  from  the 
Inquisitor,  and  from  Italy.  In  this  mind,  and  in  the  most  un- 
happy and  tormenting  situation  that  can  possibly  be  imagined, 
[  continued  near  a  twelvemontl ,  not  able  to  prevai  upon  my 
self  to  exec  ate  the  resolution  1   h^d  taken  on  acc?unl  of  tho 

231 


232  bower''s  narrative  of  the 

many  dangers  which  I  foresaw  would  inevitably  attend  it,  and 
the  dreadful  consequences  of  my  failing  m  the  attempt.  But, 
being  in  the  mean  time,  ordered  by  the  Inquisitor  to  ap- 
prehend a  person,  w ith  v.honi  i  lived  in  the  greatest  intimacy 
and  friendship,  the  part  I  was  obliged  to  act  on  that  occasion, 
left  so  deep  an  impression  in  my  mind  as  soon  prevailed  over 
all  my  fears,  and  made  me  determine  tc  put  ir.to  execution,  s^ 
all  events,  and  without  further  delay,  the  design  I  had  tonned. 
Of  that  remarkable  transaction,  therefore,  I  shall  give  here 
a  particular  account,  the  rather  as  it  will  shew  m  a  very  strong 
light,  the  nature  of  the  proceedings  in  that  horrid  court. 

The  person  whom  the  inquisitor  appointed  me  to  apprehend, 
was  Coimt  Vicenzo  della  Torre,  descended  from  an  illustrious 
family  in  Germany,  and  possessed  of  a  very  considerable  es- 
tate in  the  territory  of  Macerata.  He  was  one  of  my  very 
particular  friends,  and  had  lately  married  the  daughter  of  Sig- 
nior  Constantini,  of  Fermo,  a  lady  no  less  famous  for  her 
good  sense  than  her  beauty.  With  her  family  too,  I  had  con- 
tracted an  iniimate  acquaintance,  while  Professor  of  Rhetoric 
in  Fermo,  and  had  often  attended  the  Count  during  his  court- 
ship, from  Macerata  to  Fermo,  but  fifteen  miles  distant.  I 
therefore  lived  with  both  in  the  greatest  friendship  and  inti- 
macy; and  the  count  was  the  only  person  that  lived  with  me, 
after  I  was  made  Counsellor  of  the  Inquisition,  upon  the  same 
free  footing  as  he  had  done  till  that  time:  my  other  friends 
being  grown  shy  of  me,  and  giving  me  plainly  to  understand, 
that  they  no  longer  cared  for  my  company. 

As  this  unhappy  young  gentleman  was  one  day  walking 
with  another,  he  met  two  Capuchin  friars ;  and  turning  to  his 
companion,  when  they  were  passed,  *  What  fools,'  said  he, 
*are  these,  to  think  they  shall  gain  heaven  by  wearing  sack- 
cloth and  going  bare-foot!  Fools  indeed,  if  they  think  so,  or 
that  there  is  any  merit  in  torm.enting  one's  self:  they  might  as 
well  live  as  we  do,  and  they  v/ould  get  to  heaven  quite  as 
soon.'  Who  informed  against  him,  v/hether  the  friars,  his 
companion,  or  somebody  else,  I  knew  not;  for  the  Inquisitors 
never  tell  the  names  of  the  informers  to  the  Counsellors,  nor 
the  names  of  the  witnesses,  lest  they  should  except  agamst 
them.  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  all  who  hear  any  proposition, 
that  appears  to  them  repugnant  to,  or  inconsistent  with  the 
doctrine  of  the  holy  mother  church,  is  bound  to  reveal  it  to  the 
Inquisitor,  and  likewise  to  discover  the  person  by  whom  it  was 
uttered;  and,  in  this  afiliir,  no  rega'd  is  to  be  had  to  any  ties, 
tiowever  sacred ;  the  brother  being  bound  to  accu  le  tl  e  hvoth. 


TXQUISITIO^  AT  MAC ER ATA.  233 

cr,  the  father  to  accuse  the  son,  the  son  the  father,  the  wife 
her  husband,  and  the  husband  his  wife;  and  all  bound  on  pain 
of  eternal  damnation,  and  of  being  deemed  and  treated  as  ac- 
complices, if  they  do  not  denounce  in  a  certain  time;  and  no 
confe^or  can  absolve  a  person  who  has  heard  any  thino-  said, 
in  jest  or  in  earnest,  agninst  the  belief  or  practice  of  the  church, 
till  that  person  has  infjrmed  the  Inquisitor  of  it,  and  given 
him  all  the  intelligence  he  can  concerning  the  person  by  whom 
it  was  said. 

Whoever  it  was  that  informed  against  my  unhappy  friend, 
whether  the  friars,  his  companion,  or  somebody  else  who 
might  have  overheard  him,  the  Inquisitor  acquainted  the  board 
3ne  night  (for  to  be  less  observed,  they  commonly  meet,  out  of 
Rome,  in  the  night)  that  the  abovementioned  propositions  had 
been  advanced,  and  advanced  gravely,  at  the  sight  of  two  poor 
Capuchins :  that  the  evidence  was  unexceptionable ;  and  that 
they  were  therefore  met  to  determine  the  quality  of  the  propo- 
sition, and  proceed  against  the  delinquent  agreeably  to  that 
determination.  There  are  in  each  Inquisition  twelve  counsel- 
lors, viz.  four  Divines,  four  Canonists,  and  four  Civilians.  It 
is  chiefly  the  province  of  the  divines  to  determine  the  quality 
of  the  proposition,  viz.  Whether  it  is  heretical,  or  only  savors 
of  heresy;  whether  it  is  blasphemous  and  injurious  to  God 
and  his  saints,  or  only  erroneous,  rasl.^  t'chismatical,  or  offen- 
sive to  pious  ears. 

That  part  of  the  proposition,  ^  Fools,  i'"  ti\ey  tliink  that  there 
is  any  merit  in  tormenting  one's  self,'  was  judged  and  declared 
heretical,  as  openly  contradicting  the  doctune  and  practice  of 
holy  mother  church,  recommending  austeritior  as  highly  mer- 
itorious. The  Inquisitor  observed,  on  this  occasion,  that  by  the 
proposition,  '  Fools,  indeed,'  &c.  were  taxing  with  foily  not 
only  the  holy  fathers,  who  had  all  to  a  man  j.ractl^ed  great 
austerities,  but  St.  Paul  himself,  who  '  chastised  his  bov.'v,'  that 
is,  whipped  himself,  as  the  Inquisitor  understood  it,  adding^ 
that  the  practice  of  whipping  one's  self,  so  much  reconimondeiS 
by  all  the  founders  of  religious  orders,  was  bcrrowed  ot  i\w 
great  apostle  of  the  gentiles. 

The  proposition  being  declared  heretical, it  was  unanimous 
ly  agreed  by  the  board,  that  the  person  who  had  uttered  i' 
should  be  apprehended  and  proceeded  against  agreeably  to  the 
laws  of  the  Inquisition.  And  now  the  person  was  named;  for^ 
till  it  is  determined  whether  the  accused  person  should  or 
should  not  be  apprehended,  his  name  is  kept  concealed  frono 
the  counsellors,  lest  they  should  be  biased,  says  the  Dii'ectorv 

u2 


234  BOWER*S  NARRATIVE  OF  THE 

in  his  favoi  or  against  him.  For,  in  many  instances,  they 
keep  up  to  a.i  appearance  of  justice  and  equity,  at  the  same 
time  that,  in  truth,  they  act  in  direct  opposition  to  all  the  known 
laws  of  justice  and  equity.  No  words  can  express  the  concern 
and  astonishment  it  gave  me  to  hear,  on  such  an  occasion,  the 
name  of  a  friend  for  whom  I  had  the  greatest  esteem  and  re- 
gard. The  Inquisitor  was  apprized  of  it;  and,  to  give  me  an 
opportunity  of  practising  what  he  had  so  often  recommended 
tome,  viz.  of  conquering  nature  with  the  assistance  of  grace, 
he  appointed  me  to  apprehend  the  criminal,  as  he  styled  him, 
and  to  lodge  him  safe,  before  day-light,  in  the  prison  of  the  ho 
ly  Inquisition.  I  offered  to  excuse  myself,  but  with  the  great 
est  submission,  from  being  any  ways  concerned  in  the  execu- 
tion of  that  order;  an  order,  I  said,  which  I  entirely  approved 
of,  and  only  wished  it  might  be  put  in  execution  by  some 
other  person;  for  your  lordship  knows,  I  said,  the  connexion. 
But  the  Inquisitor  shocked  at  the  word,  'What?'  said  he,  with 
a  stern  look  and  angry  tone  of  voice, '  talk  of  connexions  where 
the  faith  is  concerned?  there  is  your  guard,  (pointing  to  the. 
Sbirri  or  balhfs,  in  waiting,)  let  the  criminal  be  secured  in  St. 
Luke's  cell  (one  of  the  worst)  before  three  in  the  morning.' — 
He  then  withdrew  with  the  rest  of  the  counsellors,  and  as  he 
passed  me, '  Thus,'  he  said,  '  nature  is  conquer9d.'  I  had  be- 
trayed some  weakness,  or  sense  of  humanity,  not  long  before, 
in  fainting  away  while  I  attended  the  torture  of  one  who  was 
racked  with  the  utmost  barbarity ;  and  I  had,  on  that  occasion, 
been  reprimanded  by  the  Inquisitor  for  suficring  nature  to  get 
the  better  of  grace ;  it  being  an  inexcusable  weakness,  as  he 
observed,  to  be  any  way  affected  with  the  suffering  of  the 
body,  however  great,  when  afflicted,  as  they  ever  are  in  the  Holy 
Inquisition,  for  the  good  of  tlie  soul.  And  it  was,  I  presume, 
to  make  trial  of  the  effect  this  reprimand  had  upon  me,  that 
the  execution  of  this  cruel  order  was  committed  to  me.  As  I 
couM  by  no  possible  means  decline  it,  I  summoned  all  my  res- 
olution, after  passing  an  hour  by  myself,  I  may  say  in  the  ag- 
onies of  death,  and  set  out  a  little  after  two  in  the  morning,  for 
my  unhappy  friend's  house,  attended  by  a  notary  of  the  Inqui- 
sition, and  six  armed  Sbirri. 

We  arrived  at  the  house  by  different  ways,  and  knocking  at 
the  door,  a  maid-servant  looked  out  of  the  window,  and  inqui 
ring  who  knocked,  was  answered  the  Holy  Inquisition,  and  at 
the  sane  time,  ordered  to  awake  nol)ody,  but  to  come  down 
directly  and  oj)en  the  door,  on  pain  of  excommunication.  At 
'hese  words,  the  servant  iiastcnci  dov.n,  half  naked  as  she 


INaUISITION   AT    MACERATA.  235 

was,  and  having  with  much  ado,  in  her  great  fright,  at  last 
opened  the  door,  she  conducted  us,  as  she  was  ordered,  pale 
a.nd  trembling,  to  her  master's  bed-chamber.  She  often  looked 
very  earnestly  at  me,  as  she  knew  me,  and  shewed  a  great 
desire  of  speaking  to  me;  but  of  her  I  durst  take  no  kind  uf 
notice.  I  entered  the  bed-chamber  with  the  notary,  followed 
by  the  Sbirri,  when  the  lady  awakening  at  the  noise,  and  s^ee- 
ing  the  bed  surrounded  by  armed  men,  screamed  out  aloud, 
and  continued  screaming,  as  out  of  her  senses,  till  one  of  the 
Sbirri,  provoked  at  the  noise,  gave  her  a  blow  on  the  forehead, 
that  made  the  blood  run  dow^n  her  face,  and  she  swooned  away. 
I  rebuked  the  fellow  very  severely,  and  ordered  him  to  be 
whipped  as  soon  as  1  returned  to  the  Inquisition. 

In  the  meantime  the  husband  awakening,  and  seeing  mb 
with  my  attendants,  cried  out  in  the  utmost  surprise,  'Mr. 
Bower!'  He  said  then  no  more;  nor  could  I  for  some  time, 
utter  a  single  word;  and  it  was  with  much  ado  that,  in  the  end, 
I  mastered  my  grief  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  let  my  unfortunate 
friend  know  that  he  was  a  prisoner  of  the  Holy  Inquisition. 
^Of  the  Holy  Inquisition!' he  replied,  'alas!  what  have  I  done? 
My  dear  friend,  be  my  friend  now.'  He  said  many  affecting 
things;  but  as  I  knew  it  was  not  in  my  power  to  befriend  him, 
I  had  not  the  courage  to  look  him  in  the  fiice,  but  turning  my 
back  to  him,  withdrew,  while  he  dressed,  to  a  corner  of  the 
room,  to  give  vent  to  my  grief  there.  The  notary  stood  by 
him  while  he  dressed,  and  as  I  observed,  quite  unaffected.  In- 
deed, to  be  void  of  all  humanity,  to  be  able  to  behold  one's  fel- 
low-creatures groaning  and  ready  to  expire  in  the  most  exquis- 
ite  torments  cruelty  can  invent,  without  being  in  the  least  af- 
fected with  their  sufferings,  is  one  of  the  chief  qualifications 
of  an  inquisitor,  and  what  all  who  belong  to  the  Inquisition 
must  strive  to  attain  to.  It  often  happens,  at  that  infernal  trib 
unal,  that  while  an  unhappy,  and  probably  an  innocent  person 
is  crying  out  in  their  presence  on  the  rack,  and  begging  by  all 
that  is  sacred  for  one  moment's  relief,  in  a  manner  one  would 
think  no  human  heart  could  withstand;  it  often  happens,  I  say, 
that  the  Inquisitor  and  the  rest  of  that  inhuman  crew,  quite 
unaffected  with  his  complaints,  and  deaf  to  his  groans,  to  his 
tears  and  entreaties,  are  entertaining  one  another  with  the 
news  of  the  town ;  nay,  sometimes  they  even  msult.  with  un- 
heard of  barbarity,  the  unhappy  wretches  in  thn  height  of  their 
torment. 

To  return  to  my  unhappy  prisoner;  he  wa&  no  sooner  dress- 
ed, than  I  ordered  the  Bargello,  or  head  of  the  Sbii  ri,  to  tie  his 


236  bower's  ?fARRATIVE  OF  TTIE 

hands  with  a  cord  behind  his  back,  as  is  practised  on  such  oc 
casions,  without  distinction  of  persons;  no  more  regard  being 
shewn  by  the  Inquisition  to  men  of  the  first  rank,  when  char- 
ged with  heresy,  than  to  the  meanest  artificers.  Heresy  dis- 
solves all  friendship;  so  that  I  durst  no  longer  look  upon  the 
man  with  whom  I  had  lived  in  the  greatest  friendship  and  in- 
timacy as  my  friend,  or  shew  him,  on  that  account,  the  leas^ 
regard  or  indulgence. 

As  we  left  the  chamber,  the  countess,  who  had  been  con- 
veyed out  of  the  room,  met  us,  and  screaming  out  in  a  most 
f.itiful  manner,  upon  seeing  her  husband  wiih  his  hands  tied 
behind  his  back,  like  a  thief  or  robber,  flew  to  embrace  him, 
and  hanging  on  his  neck,  begged,  with  a  flood  of  tears,  we 
would  be  so  merciful  as  to  put  an  end  to  her  life,  that  she 
might  have  the  satisfaction,  the  only  satisfaction  she  wished 
for  in  this  world,  of  dying  in  the  bosom  of  the  man  whom  she 
had  vowed  never  to  part  with.  The  count,  overv/helmed  v/ith 
grief,  did  not  utter  a  single  word.  I  could  not  find  in  my  heart, 
nor  was  I  in  a  condition  to  interpose ;  and  indeed,  a  scene  of 
greater  distress  was  never  beheld  by  human  eyes.  However, 
I  gave  signal  to  the  notary  to  part  them,  which  he  did  accord- 
ingly, quite  unconcerned ;  but  the  countess  fell  into  a  swoon, 
and  the  count  v/as,  in  the  meantime,  carried  down  stairs,  and 
out  of  the  house,  amidst  the  loud  lamentations  and  sighs 
of  his  servants,  on  all  sides;  for  he  was  a  man  remarkable 
for  the  sweetness  of  his  temper,  and  his  kindness  to  all  about 
him. 

Being  arrived  at  the  Inquisition,  I  consigned  my  prisoner 
into  the  hands  of  the  goaler,  a  lay  brother  of  St.  Dominic,  who 
shut  him  up  in  the  dungeon  mentioned  above,  and  delivered 
the  key  to  me.  I  lay  that  night  in  the  palace  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion, where  every  counsellor  has  a  room,  and  returned  next 
morning  the  key  to  .the  inquisitor,  telling  him  that  his  order 
had  been  punctually  complied  with.  The  inquisitor  had  been 
already  informed  of  my  whole  conduct  by  the  notary;  and 
therefore,  upon  my  delivering  the  key  to  him,  ^You  have  acted 
(said  he,)  like  one  who  is  desirous  at  least  to  overcome  v/iih 
the  assistance  of  grace,  the  inclinationsof  nature;' that  is,  like 
one  who  is  desirous,  with  the  assistance  of  grace,  to  meta- 
morphose himself  from  a  human  creature,  into  a  brute  or  a 
devil. 

In  the  Inquisition,  ever}^  prisoner  is  kept  the  first  week  of  his 
'mprisonment,  in  a  dark  narrow  dungeon,  so  low  that  he  can- 
not  stand  upright  in  it,  without  seeing  any  body  but  the  gaolor, 


Arrest  of  Count  della  Torre  by  Inquisitors. 


INdUISITION   AT    BLVCERATA.  237 

whc  wrings  him,  every  other  day,  his  portion  of  bread  and  wa 
ter,  .he  only  food  that  is  allowed  him.  This  is  done,  they  say, 
to  tame  him,  and  render  him,  thus  weakened,  more  sensible 
of  the  torture,  and  less  able  to  bear  it.  At  the  end  of  the 
week,  he  is  brought  in  the  night  before  the  board  to  be  exam- 
ined; and  on  that  occasion,  my  poor  friend  appeared  so  altered, 
in  a  week's  time  that,  had  it  not  been  for  his  dress,  I  should  not 
have  known  him;  and  indeed  no  wonder,  a  change  of  condi- 
tion so  sudden  and  unexpected;  the  unworthy  and  barbarous 
treatment  he  had  already  met  with;  the  apprehension  of  what 
he  might,  and  probably  should  suffer;  and  perhaps,  more  than 
any  thing  else,  the  distressed  and  forlorn  condition  of  his  once 
happy  wife,  whom  he  tenderly  loved,  whose  company  he  had 
eQJoyed  only  six  months,  could  be  attended  with  no  other  effect 
Being  asked,  according  to  custom,  whether  he  had  any  ene- 
mies, and  desired  to  name  them;  he  answered,  that  he  bore 
enmity  to  no  man,  and  hoped  that  no  man  bore  enmity  to  him. 
For  as,  in  the  Inquisition,  the  person  accused  is  not  told  of  the 
charge  brought  against  him,  nor  of  the  person  by  whom  it  is 
brought;  the  Inquisitor  asks  him  whether  he  has  any  enemies, 
and  desires  him  to  name  them.  If  he  names  the  informer,  all 
further  proceedings  are  stopped  till  the  informer  is  examined 
anew;  and  if  the  information  is  found  to  proceed  from  ill-will, 
and  no  collateral  proof  can  be  produced,  the  prisoner  is  dis- 
charged. Of  this  piece  of  justice  they  frequently  boast,  at 
the  same  time  that  they  admit,  both  as  informers  and  witness- 
es, persons  of  the  most  infamous  characters,  and  such  as  are 
excluded  by  all  other  courts.  In  the  next  place,  the  prisoner 
is  ordered  to  swear  that  he  Mill  declare  the  truth,  and  conceal 
nothing  from  the  holy  tribunal,  concerning  himself  or  others, 
that  he  knows,  and  the  holy  tribunal  is  desirous  to  know.  He 
is  then  interrogated  for  w^hat  crime  he  has  been  apprehended 
and  imprisoned  by  the  Holy  Court  of  the  Inquisition,  of  all 
courts  the  most  equitable,  the  most  cautious,  the  most  merci- 
fiil.  To  that  interrogatory  the  count  answered,  with  a  faint 
and  trembling  voice,  that  he  was  not  conscious  to  himself  of 
any  crime,  cognizable  by  that  Holy  Court,  nor  indeed  by  any 
other;  that  he  believed,  and  ever  had  believed  whatever  holy 
mother  church  believed,  or  required  him  to  believe.  He  had, 
it  seems,  quite  forgot  w  hat  he  had  unthinkingly  said  at  the 
sight  of  the  two  friars.  The  Inquisitor,  therefore,  finding  he 
did  not  remember,  or  would  not  own  his  crime,  after  many  de- 
ceitful interrogatories,  and  promises  which  he  never  intended 
to  fulfil,  ordered  him  back  to  his  dungeon,  and  allow'ing  hina 


238 

anoth  .r  woek,  as  is  customary  in  such  cases,  to  recol  ect  him 
seit',  to'.d  him,  that  if  he  could  not  in  that  time  prevail  upon 
himfe.'t'  to  declare  the  truth,  agreeable  to  his  oath,  means 
would  be  found  of  forcing  it  from  him ;  and  he  must  expect  no 
mercy. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  he  was  brought  again  before  the  in 
fcrnal  tribunal,  and  being  asked  the  same  questions,  returned 
the  same  answers,  adding,  that  if  he  had  done  or  said  any 
thing  amiss,  unwittingly  or  ignorantly,  he  was  ready  to  own 
it,  provided  the  least  hint  of  it  were  given  him  by  any  there 
present,  which  he  entreated  them  most  earnestly  to  do.  He 
often  looked  at  me,  and  seemed  to  expect,  which  gave  me  such 
concern  as  no  words  can  express,  that  I  should  say  something 
in  his  favor.  But  I  was  not  allowed  to  speak  on  this  occasion, 
nor  was  any  of  the  counsellors;  and  had  I  been  allowed  to 
speak,  I  durst  not  have  said  any  thing  in  his  favor;  the  advo- 
cate appointed  by  the  Inquisition,  and  commonly  styled,  'The. 
Devil's  Advocate,'  being  the  only  person  that  is  suffered  to 
speak  for  the  prisoner.  This  advocate  belongs  to  the  Inquisi- 
tion, receives  a  salary  of  the  Inquisition,  and  is  bound  by  an 
oath  to  abandon  the  defence  of  the  prisoner  if  he  undertakes 
it,  or  not  to  undertake  it,  if  he  finds  it  cannot  be  defended 
agreeably  to  the  laws  of  the  Holy  Inquisition ;  so  that  the  whole 
is  mere  sham  and  imposition.  I  have  heard  this  advocate,  on 
other  occasions,  allege  something  in  favor  of  the  person  accu- 
sed; but  on  this  occasion  he  declared  that  he  had  nothing  to 
offer  in  defence  of  the  criminal. 

In  the  Inquisition,  the  person  accused  is  alwaj^s  supposed 
guilty,  unless  he  has  named  the  accuser  among  his  enemies 
and  he  is  put  to  the  torture  if  he  docs  not  plead  guilty,  and  own 
the  crime  that  is  laid  to  his  charge,  without  being  so  much  as 
told  what  it  is;  whereas,  in  all  other  courts,  where  tortures  are 
used,  the  charge  is  declared  to  the  party  accused  before  he  is 
to^':ured ;  nor  are  they  ever  infhcted  without  a  credible  evi- 
dence brought  of  his  guilt.  But  in  the  Inquisition,  a  man  is 
frequently^iortured  upon  the  deposition  of  a  person  whose  ev- 
idence would  be  admitted  in  no  other  court,  and  in  all  cases 
withou".  hearing  his  charge.  As  my  unfortunate  friend  contin- 
ued to  maintain  his  innocence,  not  recollecting  what  he  had 
said,  he  was,  agreeably  to  the  laws  of  the  Inquisition,  put  to 
tlie  torture.  He  had  scarce  borne  it  twenty  minutes,  crying 
out  the  A\'hole  time, '  Jesus  Maria,'  when  his  voice  failed  him 
at  once,  and  he  fainted  away.  He  was  then  supported,  as  he 
nung  by  his  arms,  by  two  of  the  Sbirri,  whoso  province  it  is  to 


INaiJISITION   AT    MACERATA.  230 

nonage  tlie  torture,  till  he  returned  to  himself.  He  stii  con- 
tinued to  declare  that  he  could  not  recollect  his  having  said  or 
done  any  thing  contrary  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  earrftjstly 
begged  they  would  let  him  know  with  what  he  was  charged, 
being  read}  to  own  it,  if  it  was  true.  The  Inquisitor  was  then 
8o  gracious  as  to  put  him  in  mind  of  what  he  had  said  on  see- 
ing the  two  Capuchins.  The  reason  why  they  so  long  con- 
ceal from  the  pnrty  accused,  the  crime  he  is  charged  with,  is, 
that  if  he  should  be  conscious  to  himself  of  his  having  ever 
said  or  done  an}  ♦hing  contrary  to  the  faith,  which  he  is  not 
charged  with,  he  may  discover  that  too,  imagining  it  to  be  the 
very  crime  he  is  accused  of.  After  a  short  pause,  the  poor 
gentleman  owned  that  he  had  said  something  to  that  purpose; 
but,  as  he  had  said  it  with  no  evil  intention,  he  had  never  more 
thouglit  of  it  from  that  time  to  the  present.  He  added,  but 
with  so  faint  a  voice  as  scarce  could  be  heard,  that  for  his 
raslmess,  he  was  willing  to  undergo  what  punishment  soever 
the  holy  tribunal  should  think  fit  to  impose  on  him;  and  he 
again  fainted  away.  Being  eased  for  a  while  of  his  torment, 
and  returned  to  himself,  he  was  interrogated  by  the  promoter 
fiscal  (wnose  business  it  is  to  accuse  and  to  prosecute,  as  nei- 
ther the  informer  nor  the  witnesses  are  ever  to  appear)  con- 
cerning his  intention.  For,  in  the  Inquisition,  it  is  not  enough 
for  the  party  accused  to  confess  the  fact,  he  must  likewise  de- 
clare whether  his  intention  was  heretical  or  not;  and  many, 
to  redeem  themselves  from  the  torm.ents  they  can  no  longer 
endure,  own  their  intention  was  heretical,  though  it  really  was 
not.  iMy  poor  friend  often  told  us  he  was  ready  to  say  what- 
ever he  pleased;  but,  as  he  never  directly  acknowledged  his 
intention  to  have  been  heretical,  as  is  required  by  the  rules  of 
that  court,  he  was  kept  on  the  torture  till,  quite  overcome  with 
the  violence  of  the  anguish,  he  was  ready  to  expire ;  and  being 
tlien  taken  down,  he  was  carried  quite  senseless,  back  to  his 
dimgeon ;  and  there,  on  the  third  day,  death  put  an  end  to  his 
sufferings.  The  inquisitor  wrote  a  note  to  his  widow,  to  de- 
sire her  to  pray  fijr  the  soul  of  her  late  husband,  and  warn  her 
not  to  complain  of  the  holy  Inquisition,  as  capable  of  any  in- 
justice or  cruelty.  The  estate  was  confiscated  to  the  Inquisi- 
tion, and  a  small  jointure  allowed  out  of  it  to  the  widow.  As 
they  had  only  been  married  six  months,  and  some  part  of  the 
fortune  was  not  yet  paid,  the  Inquisitor  sent  an  order  to  the 
Constantini  family,  at  Fermo,  to  pay  to  the  holy  ofhce,  and 
witnout  delay,  what  they  owed  to  the  late  count  della  Torre. 
For  the  effects  of  heretics  are  all  ipso  facto  confiscated  to  the 


240  bower's  narrative  of  the 

Inquisition,  and  confiscated  from  the  very  day,  not  of  their  coii 
viction,  but  of  their  crime;  so  that  all  donations  made  after  that 
time  are  void  •  and  whatever  tiicy  have  given,  is  claimed  by 
the  Inquisition,  into  whatsoever  hands  it  may  have  passed; 
even  the  fortunes  they  have  given  to  their  daughters  in  mar- 
riage, have  been  declared  to  belong  to,  and  are  claimed  by 
the  Inquisition;  nor  can  it  be  doubted,  that  the  desire  of  those 
confiscations  is  one  great  cause  of  the  injustice  and  cruelty  of 
that  court. 

The  death  of  the  unhappy  count  della  Torre  was  soon  pub 
licly  known;  but  no  man  cared  to  speak  of  it,  not  even  his 
nearest  relations,  nor  so  much  as  to  mention  his  name,  lest 
any  thing  should  inadvertently  escape  them  that  might  be  con- 
strued into  a  disapprobation  of  the  proceedings  of  the  most  ho- 
ly tribunal ;  so  great  is  the  awe  all  men  live  in  of  that  jealous 
and  merciless  court. 

The  other  instance  of  the  cruelty  of  the  Inquisition,  related 
in  the  spurious  account  of  my  escape  published  by  Mr.  Baron, 
happened  some  years  before  I  belonged  to  the  Inquisition;  and 
I  do  not  relate  it  as  happening  in  my  time,  but  only  as  happen- 
ing in  the  Inquisition  of  Macerata.  It  is  related  at  length  in 
tlie  annals  of  that  Inquisition,  and  the  substance  of  the  rela-' 
tion  is  as  follows:  An  order  was  sent  from  the  high  tribunal  at 
Rome,  to  all  the  inquisitors  throughout  Italy,  enjoining  them 
to  apprehend  a  clergyman  minutely  described  in  that  order. 
One  answering  the  description  in  many  particulars  being  dis- 
covered in  the  diocese  of  Osimo,  at  a  small  distance  from 
Macerata,  and  sul)ject  to  that  inquisition,  he  Mas  there  decoy- 
ed into  the  Inquisition,  and  by  an  order  from  Rome,  so  racked 
as  to  lose  the  use  of  his  senses.  In  the  mean  time  the  true 
person  being  apprehended,  the  unhappy  wretch  was  dismissed 
by  a  second  order  from  Rome;  but  he  never  recovered  the  use 
of  his  senses,  nor  was  any  care  taken  of  him  by  the  Inquisi- 
tion. Father  Piazza,  who  was  then  Vicar  at  Osimo  to  Father 
Montecuccoli,  Inquisitor  at  Macerata,  and  died  some  years  ago 
a  good  Protestant,  at  Cambridge,  published  an  account  of  this 
affair,  that  entirely  agrees  with  the  account  I  read  of  it  in  the 
records  of  the-Inquisition. 

The  deep  im})ression  that  the  death  of  my  unhappy  friend, 
the  most  barbarous  and  inhuman  treatment  he  had  met  with, 
and  the  part  I  had  been  obliged  to  act  in  so  aflfecting  a  tragedy, 
made  on  my  mind,  got  at  once  the  better  of  my  fears;  so  that 
forgetting  in  a  manner  the  dangers  I  had  till  then  so  much  ap- 
prehended, I  resolved,  without  further  delay,  to  put  in  exccu- 


INQUISJ^TOJi   AT    BIACERATA.  241 

hon  the  (iesign  I  had  formed  of  quitting  the  Inquisition,  and 
bidding  forever  adieu  to  Italy.  To  execute  that  design  with 
some  safety,  I  proposed  to  beg  leave  of  the  Inquisitor  to  visit 
the  Virgin  of  Loretto,  but  thirteen  miles  distant,  and  to  pass  a 
week  there ;  but  in  the  mean  time,  to  make  the  best  of  my  way 
to  the  country  of  the  Grisons,  the  nearest  country  to  Macerata, 
out  of  the  reach  o'  the  Inquisition.  Having  therefore,  after 
many  conflicts  with  myself,  asked  leave  to  visit  the  neighbor- 
ing sanctuary,  and  obtained  it,  I  set  out  on  horseback  the  very 
next  morning,  leaving,  as  I  proposed  to  keep  the  horse,  his  full 
value  with  the  owner.  I  took  the  road  to  Loretto,  but  turned 
out  of  it  at  a  small  distance  from  Recanati,  after  a  most  vio- 
lent struggle  with  myself,  the  attempt  appearing  to  me,  at  that 
juncture,  quite  desperate  and  impracticable;  and  the  dreadful 
doom  reserved  for  me,  should  I  miscarry,  presented  itself  to 
my  mind  in  the  strongest  light.  But  the  reflection  that  I  had 
it  in  my  power  to  avoid  being  taken  alive,  and  a  persuasion 
that  a  man  in  my  situation  might  lawfully  avoid  it,  when  eve- 
ry other  means  failed  him,  at  the  expense  of  his  life,  revived 
my  staggered  resolution ;  and  all  my  fears  ceasing  at  once,  I 
steered  my  course,  leaving  Loretto  behind  me,  to  Rocca  Con- 
trada,  to  Fossonbrone,  to  Calvi  in  the  dukedom  of  Urbino,  and 
from  thence  through  the  Romagna  into  the  Bolognese,  keeping 
the  by-roads,  and  at  a  good  distance  from  the  cities  of  Fano, 
Pesaro,  Rimini,  Forli,  Faenza,  and  Imola,  through  which  the 
high  road  passed.  Thus  I  advanced  very  slowly,  travelling, 
generally  speaking,  in  very  bad  roads,  and  often  in  places 
where  there  was  no  road  at  all,  to  avoid,  not  only  the  cities 
and  towns,  but  even  the  villages.  In  the  mean  time,  I  seldom 
had  any  other  support  but  some  coarse  provisions,  and  a  very 
small  quantity  even  of  them,  that  the  poor  shepherds,  the 
countrymen,  or  w^ood  cleavers,  I  met  in  those  unfrequented  by- 
places,  could  spare  me.  My  horse  fared  not  much  better  than 
myself;  but,  in  choosing  my  sleeping  place,  I  const Hed  his 
convenience  as  much  as  my  own,  passing  the  night  where  I 
found  most  shelter  for  myself,  and  most  grass  for  him.  In 
Italy  there  are  a  very  few  solitary  farm  houses  or  cottages, 
the  country  people  there  all  live  together  in  villages ;  and  I 
thought  it  far  safer  to  lie  where  I  could  be  any  way  sheltered, 
than  to  venture  into  any  of  them.  Thus  I  spent  seventeen 
days  before  I  got  out  of  the  ecclesiastical  state ;  and  I  very 
narrowly  escaped  being  taken  or  murdered,  on  the  very  bor- 
ders of  that  state ;  it  happened  thus : 

I  had  passed  two  whole  days  without  any  kind  of  sub«it- 


242 

tence  what.-  rer,  meeting  with  nobody  in  the  by-roads  thai 
would  supply  me  with  any,  and  fearing  to  come  near  any 
house,  as  I  was  not  far  from  the  borders  of  the  dominions  of 
the  Pope.     I  thought  I  should  be  able  to  hold  it  till  I  got  into 
the  Modanese,  where  I  believed  I  should  be  in  less  danger ' 
than  while  I  remained  in  the  papal  dominions;  but  finding  my- 
self, about  noon  of  the  third  day,  extremely  weak  and  ready 
to  faint  away,  I  cam/j  into  the  high  road  that  leads  from  Bo- 
logna to  Florence,  a  lv>w  miles  distant  from  the  former  city, 
and  alighted  at  a  post  house,  that  stood  quite  by  itself.     Hav- 
ino-  asked  the  woman  of  the  house  whether  she  had  any  victuals 
ready,  and  being  told  that  she  had,  I  went  to  open  the  door  of 
the  only  room  in  the  house,  (that  being  a  place  where  gentle- 
men only  stop  to  change  horses,)  and  saw  to  my  great  sur- 
prise, a  placard  pasted  on  it,  with  a  most  minute  description 
of  my  whole  person,  and  the    promise  of  a  reward  of  800 
crow^ns  (about  £200  English  money)  for  delivering  me  up 
alive  to  the  Inquisition,  being  a  fugitive  from  the  holy  tribunal, 
and  of  600  crowns  for  my  head.     By  the  same  placard,  all 
persons  were  forbidden,  on  the  pain  of  the  greater  excommuni 
cation,  to  receive,  harbor,  or  entertain  me,  to  conceal,  or  screen 
me,  or  to  be  any  way  aiding  and  assisting  to  me  in  making 
my  escape.     This  greatly  alarmed  me,   as  the  reader  may 
well  imagine ;  but  I  was  still  more  affrighted,  when  entering 
the  room,  I  saw  two  fellows  drinking  there,  who,  fixing  their 
eyes  upon  me  as  soon  as  I  came  in,  continued  looking  at  me 
very  steadfastly.     I  strove,  by  wiping  my  face,  by  blowing 
my  nose,  by  looking  out  of  the  window,  to  prevent  their  hav- 
ing a  full  view  of  me.     But,  one  of  them  saying,  '  The  gen- 
tleman seems  afraid  to  be  seen,'  ^  I  put  up  my  handkerchief, 
and  turning  to  the  fellow,  said  boldly,  '  What  do  you  mean, 
you  rascal?     Look  at  me — am  I  afraid  to  be  seen?     He  said 
nothing,  but  looking  again  steadfastly  at  me,  and  nodding  his 
head,  went  out,  and  his  companion  immediately  followed  him, 
I  watched  them,  and  seeing  them,  with  two  or  three  more,  in 
close  conference,  and  no  doubt  consulting  whether  they  should 
apprehend  me  or  not,  I    walked  that  moment  into  the  stable, 
mounted  my  horse  unobserved  by  them,  and  while  they  were 
deliberating  in  an  orchard,  behind  the  house,   rode  off  full 
speed,  and  in  a  few  hours  got  into  the  Modanese,  where  I  re- 
freshed both  with  food  and  with  rest,  as  I  was  there  in  no  im- 
mediate danger,  my  horse  and  myself.     I  was  indeed  surprised 
to  find  that  those  fellows  did  not  pursue  me :  nor  can  I  any 
Other  way  account  for  it,  but  by  supposing,  what  is  not  ira- 


EN-QTJISITION  AT  5IACERATA.  243 

probable,  that,  as  they  were  strangers,  as  well  as  myself,  and 
had  all  the  appearance  of  banditti  or  ruffians  flying  out  of  the 
dominions  of  the  Pope,  the  woman  of  the  house  did  not  care 
to  trust  them  with  her  horses.  From  the  Modanese  I  con- 
tinued my  journey,  more  leisurely  through  the  Parmesan,  the 
Milanese,  and  part  of  the  Venetian  territory,  to  Chiavenna, 
subject,  with  its  district,  to  the  Grisons,  v.ho  abhor  the  very 
name  of  the  Inquisition,  and  are  ever  ready  to  receive  and 
protect  all  who,  flying  from  it,  take  refuge,  as  many  Italians 
do,  in  their  dommions.  However,  as  I  proposed  getting  as 
soon  as  I  could  to  the  city  of  Bern,  the  metropolis  of  that  great 
Protestant  canton,  and  was  informed  that  my  best  way  was 
through  the  cantons  of  Ury  and  Underwald,  and  part  of  the 
canton  of  Lucern,  all  three  popish  cantons,  I  carefully  conceal- 
ed who  I  was,  and  from  whence  I  came.  For,  though  no  In- 
quisition prevails  among  the  Swiss,  yet  the  Pope's  nuncio, 
who  resides  at  Lucern,  might  have  persuaded  the  magistrates 
of  those  popish  cantons  to  stop  me,  as  an  apostate  and  deserter 
from  the  order. 

Having  rested  a  few  days  at  Chiavenna,  I  resumed  my 
journey  quite  refreshed,  continuing  it  through  the  country  of 
the  Grisons,  and  the  two  small  cantons  of  Ury  and  Under 
wald,  to  the  canton  of  Lucern.  There  I  missed  my  way,  as  I 
was  quite  unacquainted  with  the  country,  and  discovering  a 
city  at  a  distance,  was  advancing  to  it,  but  very  slowly,  as  I 
knew  not  where  I  was;  when  a  countryman,  whom  I  met, 
informed  me  that  the  city  before  me  was  Lucern.  Upon  that 
intelligence,  I  turned  out  of  the  road  as  soon  as  the  country- 
man was  out  of  sight;  and  that  night  I  passed  with  a  good- 
natured  shepherd  in  his  cottage,  who  supplied  me  with  sheep's 
milk,  and  my  horse  with  plenty  of  grass.  I  set  out  very  early 
next  morning,  making  the  best  of  my  way  westward,  as  I  knew 
that  Bern  lay  west  of  Lucern.  But,  after  a  few  miles,  the 
country  proved  very  mountainous,  and,  having  travelled  the 
whole  day  over  mountains,  I  was  overtaken  among  them  by 
night.  As  I  was  looking  out  for  a  place  where  I  might  shel- 
ter myself  during  the  night,  against  the  snow  and  the  rain,  y^for 
it  both  snowed  and  rained,)  I  perceived  a  light  at  a  distance, 
and  making  towards  it,  got  into  a  kind  of  a  foot-path,  but  so 
narrow  and  rugged  that  I  was  obliged  to  lead  my  horse,  and 
feel  my  way  with  one  foot,  (having  no  light  to  direct  me,)  be- 
fore I  durst  move  the  other.  Thus,  with  much  diinculty,  x 
reached  the  place  w^here  the  light  was,  a  poor  little  cottage , 
and  knocking  at  the  door,  was  asked  by  a  man  within,  who  I 


244  bower's  narrative  of  the 

was,  and  what  I  wanted?  I  answered  that  I  was  a  strange/ 
and  had  lost  my  way.  *  Lost  your  way?'  repUed  the  man 
'  there  is  no  way  here  to  lose.'  I  then  asked  him  in  what  can- 
ton I  was,  and  upon  his  answering,  that  I  was  in  the  Cc^nton  of 
Bern,  '  I  thank  God,'  I  cried  out,  transported  with  joy,  '  that  I 
am.'  The  good  man  answered,  *  And  so  do  I.'  I  then  told 
him  who  I  was,  and  that  I  was  going  to  Bern,  but  had  quite 
lost  myself,  by  keeping  out  of  all  the  high  roads,  to  avoid  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  those  who  sought  my  destruction.  He 
thereupon  opened  the  door;  received  and  entertained  me  with 
all  the  hospitality  his  poverty  would  admit  of;  regaled  me 
with  sour  crout  and  some  new  laid  eggs,  the  only  provisions 
he  had,  and  clean  straw  with  a  kind  of  rug  for  my  bed,  he  hav- 
ing no  other  for  himself  and  his  wife.  The  good  woman  ex- 
pressed as  much  satisfaction  and  good  nature  in  her  counte- 
nance, as  her  husband,  and  said  many  kind  things  in  the 
Swiss  language,  which  her  husband  interpreted  to  me  in  the . 
Italian ;  for  that  language  he  well  understood,  and  spoke  so  as 
to  be  understood,  having  learned  it,  as  he  told  me,  in  his 
youth,  while  servant  in  a  public  house  on  the  borders  of  Italy, 
where  both  languages  are  spoken.  I  never  passed  a  more 
comfortable  night;  and  no  sooner  did  I  begin  to  stir  in  the 
morning,  than  the  good  man  and  his  wife  came  both  to  know 
how  I  had  rested ;.  and,  wishing  they  had  been  able  to  accom- 
modate me  better,  obliged  me  to  breakfast  on  two  eggs,  which 
providence,  they  said,  had  supplied  them  with  for  that  purpose. 
I  then  took  leave  of  the  wife,  who,  with  her  eyes  lifted  up  to 
heaven,  seemed  most  sincerely  to  wish  me  a  good  journey. 
As  for  the  husband,  he  would  by  all  means  attend  me  to  the 
high  road  leading  to  Bern;  which  road,  he  said,  was  but  two 
miles  distant  from  that  place.  But  he  insisted  on  my  first  go- 
ing back  with  him,  to  see  the  way  I  had  come  the  night  before; 
the  only  way,  he  said,  I  could  have  possibly  come  from  the 
neighboring  canton  of  Lucern.  I  saw  it,  and  shuddered  at  tne 
danger  I  had  escaped;  for  I  found  that  I  had  walked  and  led 
my  horse  a  good  way  along  a  very  narrow  path  on  the  brink 
of  a  very  dangerous  precipice.  The  man  made  so  many  pious 
and  pertinent  remarks  on  the  occasion,  as  both  charmed  and 
surprised  me.  I  no  less  admired  his  disinterestedness  than 
his  piety;  tor,  upon  our  parting,  after  he  had  attended  me  till 
I  was  out  of  all  danger  of  losing  my  way,  I  could  by  no  means 
prevail  upon  hnii  to  accept  of  any  reward  for  his  trouble.  Ho 
bad  the  satisfaction,   he  said,  of  having  relieved  me  in  the 


INQUISITION  AT  5IACERATA.  245 

greatest  distress,  which  was  in  itself  a  sufficient  re\vard,  and 
he  (  Ared  for  no  other. 

I  reached  Bern  that  night,  and  proposed  staying  some  time 
there,-  but  being  informed  by  the  principal  minister  of  the 
place,  to  whom  I  discovered  myself,  that  boats  were  frequently 
down  the  Rhine,  at  that  time  of  the  year,  with  goods  and  pas- 
sengers from  Basil  to  Holland,  and  advised  by  him  to  avail 
myself  of  that  opportunity,  I  set  out  accordingly  the  next  day, 
and  crossing  the  popish  canton  of  Soleurre  in  the  night,  but 
very  carefully  avoiding  the  town  of  that  name,  I  got  early  the 
next  morning  to  Basil.  There  I  met  with  a  most  friendly  re- 
ception from  one  of  the  ministers  of  the  place,  having  been 
warmly  recommended  to  him  by  a  letter  I  brought  with  me 
from  his  brother  at  Bern.  As  a  boat  was  to  sail  in  two  days, 
he  entertained  me  very  elegantly  during  that  time  at  his  house, 
and  I  embarked  the  third  day,  leaving  my  horse  to  my  host, 
in  return  for  his  kindness. 

The  company  in  the  boat  consisted  of  a  few  traders,  of  a 
great  many  vagabonds,  the  very  refuse  of  the  neighboring  na- 
tions, and  some  criminals  flying  from  justice.  But  I  was  not 
long  with  them;  for  the  boat  striking  against  a  rock  not  far 
from  Strasburgh,  I  resolved  not  to  wait  till  it  was  refitted,  (as 
it  was  not  my  design  to  go  to  Holland)  but  to  pursue  my  jour- 
ney partly  in  the  common  diligence  or  stage-coach,  and  partly 
on  post  horses,  through  France  into  Flanders. 

Having  got  safe  into  French  Flanders,  I  there  repaired  to 
the  college  of  the  Scotch  Jesuits  at  Douay,  and  discovering 
myself  to  the  rector,  I  acquainted  him  with  the  cause  of  my 
sudden  departure  from  Italy,  and  begged  him  to  give  immedi 
ate  notice  of  my  arrival,  as  well  as  of  the  motives  of  my  flight 
to  Michael  Angelo  Tambuvini,  general  of  the  order,  and  my 
very  particular  friend. 

The  rector  wrote,  as  I  had  desired  him,  to  the  general,  and 
the  general,  taking  no  notice  of  my  flight,  in  his  answer,  (for 
he  could  not  disapprove  it,  and  did  not  think  it  safe  to  approve 
it,)  ordered  me  to  continue  where  I  was  till  further  orders.  I 
arrived  at  Douay  early  in  May;  and  continued  there  till  the 
latter  end  of  June,  or  the  beginning  of  July  when  the  rector 
received  a  second  letter  from  the  general,  acquainting  him, 
that  he  had  been  commanded  by  the  congregation  v,f  the  Inqui- 
sition, to  order  me  wherever  I  was,  back  to  Italy;  to  promise 
me,  in  their  name,  full  pardon  and  forgiveness,  if  I  obeyea* 
but  if  I  did  not  obey,  to  treat  me  as  an  apostnte.  He  added, 
that   the  same  order  had  been  transmitted,    soon  after  my 

x2 


246  bower'^s  narrative  of  the 

flight,  to  the  nuncios  at  the  different  Roman  Cddwli*;  »/p'<rts, 
and  he,  therefore,  advised  me  to  conrAilt  n*y  CA^n  safety  A'ith 
out  further  dela}'. 

Upon  the  receipt  of  the  general's  kind  letter,  the  rector  was 
ot  opinion  that  I  should  repair  by  all  means,  and  without  los* 
ot  time,  to  England,  not  only  hs  the  safest  asylum  I  could  fly 
to,  in  my  present  situation,  but  as  a  place  where  I  should  soop 
reco\  er  my  native  language,  and  be  usefully  employed,  a» 
soon  as  I  recovered  it,  either  there  or  in  Scotland.  I  readily 
closed  with  the  rector's  opinion,  being  very  uneasy  in  my  mind, 
as  my  old  doubts,  in  point  of  religion,  daily  gained  ground, 
and  new  ones  arose  upon  my  reading  (which  was  my  only 
employment)  the  books  of  controversy  I  found  in  the  library 
of  the  college.  The  place  being  thus  agreed  on,  and  its  being 
at  the  same  time,  settled  between  the  rector  and  me,  that  I 
should  set  out  on  the  very  next  morning,  I  solemnly  promised, 
at  his  request  and  desire,  to  take  no  kind  of  notice,  after  my 
arrival  in  England,  of  his  having  been  any  ways  privy  to  my 
flight,  or  of  the  general's  letter  to  him.  This  promise  I  have 
faithfully  and  honorably  observed ;  and  should  have  thought  my- 
self guilty  of  the  blackest  ingratitude  if  I  had  not  observed  it,  be- 
ing sensible  that,  had  it  been  known  at  Rome,  that  either  the  rec- 
tor or  general  had  been  accessary  to  my  flight,  the  Inquisition 
would  have  resented  it  severely  in  both.  For,  although  a  Je- 
suit in  France,  in  Flanders,  or  in  Germany,  is  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  Inquisition,  the  general  is  not;  and  the  high  tribunal  not 
only  have  it  in  their  power  to  punish  the  general  himself, 
who  resides  constantly  at  Rome,  but  may  oblige  him  to  in- 
flict what  punishment  they  please  on  any  of  the  order  noxious 
to  them. 

The  rector  went  that  very  night  out  of  town ;  and  in  his  ab- 
sence, but  not  without  his  privity,  I  took  one  of  the  horses  of 
the  college,  early  next  morning,  as  if  1  were  going  for  change 
of  air,  being  somewhat  indisposed,  to  pass  a  few  days  at  Lisle; 
but  steering  a  different  course,  I  reached  Aire  that  night,  and 
Calais  the  next  day.  I  was  there  in  no  danger  of  being  stop- 
ped and  seized  at  the  prosecution  of  the  Inquisition,  a  tribunal 
no  less  abhorred  in  France  than  in  England.  But,  being  in- 
formed by  the  general,  that  the  nuncios  at  the  different  courts 
had  been  ordered,  soon  after  my  flight,  to  cause  me  to  be  appre- 
hended in  Roman  Catholic  countries,  through  which  I  might 
pass,  as  an  apostate  or  deserter  from  the  order,  I  was  under  no 
emal  apprehension  of  being  discovered  and  apprehenSed  as 
suc^.h,  even  at  Ca  ais.     No  sooner,  therefore,  did  I  alight  at 


INaXJISITION    AT    MACERATA.  247 

the  inn,  than  I  went  down  to  the  quay ;  and  there,  as  I  was  very 
little  acquainted  with  the  sea,  and  thought  the  passage  much 
shorter  than  it  is,  I  endeavored  to  engage  some  fishermen  to 
carry  me  that  very  night,  in  one  of  their  small  vessels,  over 
to  England.  This  alarmed  the  guards  of  the  harbor;  and  I 
should  have  been  certamly  apprehended,  as  a  person  guilty, 
or  suspected  of  some  great  crime,  fleeing  from  justice,  had  not 
Lord  Baltimore,  whom  I  had  the  good  luck  to  meet  in  the  inn, 
informed  me  of  my  danger,  and  pitying  my  condition,  attended 
me  that  moment,  with  all  his  company,  to  the  port,  and  con- 
veyed me  immediately  on  board  of  his  yacht.  There  I  lay 
that  night,  leaving  every  thing  I  had,  but  the  clothes  on  my 
back,  in  the  inn ;  and  the  next  day  his  lordship  set  me  ashore 
at  Dover,  from  whence  I  came  in  the  common  stage  to  London. 


A  SUMMARY 


OF  THE 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC  FAITH 


When  Romanists  are  charged  with  worshipping  images, 
«aints,  the  Virgin  Mary,  &c.  and  believing  that  their  priests 
can  forgive  sins;  opposing  the  reading  of  the  scriptures;  and 
with  other  errors,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  them  to  deny  the 
truth  of  the  accusation,  and  treat  it  as  an  unfounded  slander. 
We  have  thought,  therefore,  that  a  short  but  comprehensive 
view  of  their  faith,  as  epitomized  by  themselves,  and  support- 
ed by  extracts  from  their  standard  writings,  while  it  comported 
with  the  objects  of  this  volume,  would  prove  highly  instructive 
and  interesting  to  its  readers. 

The  following  summary,  it  will  be  perceived,  is  in  the  form 
of  an  oath.  It  was  set  forth  by  Pope  Pius  IV,  and  comprises 
the  substance  of  the  decrees  of  the  council  of  Trent.  Our 
leaders  will  here  discover,  that  one  grand  difference  between 
Protestants  and  Catholics  is,  that  while  the  former  receive  the 
Bible  as  the  only  divine  rule  of  faith,  the  latter  acknowledge 
the  acts  of  Councils,  the  traditions  of  the  Church,  &.c.  as  of 
inspired  authority.  And  as  those  acts  and  traditions  are  not 
unfrequently  opposed  to  the  word  of  God, — yea,  are  most  mon- 
strously erroneous  and  wicked — some  may  account  for  the 
fact,  that  the  Romish  priesthood,  where  they  have  the  power 
t©  prevent  it,  will  never  suffer  the  people  to  possess  or  read  the 
Bible.  It  requires  nothing  under  the  divine  blessing,  but  a 
universal  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  to  overthrow 
every  fabric  of  superstition,  idolatry,  and  tyranny. 

Summary,  &-c 

After  reciting  the  Nicene  creed,  the  oath  proceeds — 
*'l  most  firmly  admit  and  embrace  the  apostolical  and  eccle- 
siastical TRADITIONS,  and  all  other  observances  and  constitu- 
tions of  the  same  church,  (i.  e.  the  Romish  church  )     Also,  I 

248 


A   SUJOIARY,    ETC.  2'19 

aj  .nit  sacred  scripture,  according  to  the  sense  which  has  been 
held  and  is  held  by  holy  mother  church,  to  whom  it  belongs 
to  judge  of  the^rue  sense  and  interpretation  of  the  sacred 
scriptures:  nor  will  I  ever  receive  or  interpret  it  (scripture) 
except  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Fathers. 

I  also  profess  that  there  are  truly  and  properly,  seven  sac- 
raments of  the  new  law,  instituted  by  »ur  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  necessary,  though  not  for  each  singly,  yet  for  the  whole 
human  race,  viz.  Baptism,  Confirmation,  the  Eucharist,  Pen- 
ance, Extreme  Unction,  Orders  and  Matrimony ;  and  that  they 
confer  grace;  and  that,  of  these,  baptism,  confirmation  and  or- 
ders cannot  be  reiterated  without  sacrilege.  I  also  receive 
and  admit  the  received  and  approved  rites  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  in  the  solemn  administration  of  all  the  above  men- 
tioned sacraments, 

I  embrace  and  receive  all  and  each  of  those  things,  which, 
in  the  Holy  Council  of  Trent,  have  been  defined  and  declared 
concerning  original  sin  and  justification. 

I,  in  like  manner,  profess,  that  in  the  Mass  is  offered  to  God 
a  true,  proper,  and  propitiatory  sacrifice  for  the  living  and  the 
dead;  and  that,  in  the  most  holy  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist, 
there  is  truly,  really  and  substantially,  the  body  and  blood, 

TOGETHER    WITH  THE    SOUL  AND  DIVINITY  OF  OUR  LoRD   JeSUS 

Christ;  and  that  there  is  made  the  change  of  the  whole  sub- 
stance of  the  bread  into  the  body,  and  the  whole  substance  of 
the  wine  into  the  blood,  which  change  the  Catholic  Church 
calls  Transubstantiation :  I  confess,  also,  that  under  each  kind 
alone,  the  whole  and  entire  Christ  and  the  true  sacrament  is 
taken. 

I  fh-mly  hold  that  there  is  a  Purgatory,  and  that  the  souls 
there  detained,  are  helped  by  the  suffrages  of  the  faithful: — 
Likewise,  the  Saints  reigning  together  with  Christ,  are  to  be 
venerated  and  invoked,  and  that  they  offer  prayers  to  God  for 
us;  and  that  their  reliques  are  to  be  veneiated.  I  most  firm- 
ly assert  that  the  ijiages  of  Christ,  and  of  the  Mother  of  God, 
ever  virgin;  and  also  of  the  other  saints,  are  to  be  held  and  re- 
tained, and  a  due  honor  and  veneration  is  to  be  granted  them. 

I  afhrm  also,  that  the  power  of  indulgences  was  left  by 
Christ  in  his  church,  and  that  the  use  of  ttiem  is  in  the  highest 
degree  salutary  to  christian  people. 

I  acknowledge  the  holy  catholic  and  apostolical  Romish 
church,  to  be  mother  and  mistress  of  all  churches  ;  and  I 
promise  and  swear  true  obedience  to  the  Roman  Pontiff,  sue- 


250  A  SUiyiMARY  OF  THE 

cessor  of  the  blessed  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  Vica* 
of  Jesus  Christ.  ^ 

Also,  all  ©ther  things,  handed  down,  defined,  and  declared 
by  the  sacred  canons  and  general  councils,  and  chiefly  by  the 
most  holy  of  Trent,  I  undoubtingly  receive  and  profess :  and, 
at  the  same  time,  all  things  contrary,  and  all  heresies  whatev- 
er condemned,  rejected,  and  anathematized,  I,  in  like  manner, 
condemn,  reject,  and  anathematize.     And  this  true  catholic 

faith,    OUT  OF  WHICH    NO    OXE   CAN    HAVE    SALVATION,  which  at 

present  I  voluntarily  profess  and  truly  hold,  I,  the  said  A.  B. 
promise,  VOW,  and  swear,  that  I  will  hold  and  confess  the  same 
entire  and  inviolate,  to  the  last  breath  of  my  life,  most  con- 
stantly, God  being  my  helper:  and  that  I  will  take  care  as  far 
as  lies  in  me,  that  the  same  shall  be  held,  taught,  and  preached 
by  my  subjects,  or  by  those,  the  care  of  whom  pertains  to  me 
by  my  office.  So  God  help  me  and  these  holy  gospels  of 
God." 

We  would  now  call  the  attention  of  our  readers  to  some  re- 
marks on  the  more  important  and  distinguishing  articles  of  the 
preceding  summary  of  Roman  Catholic  Faith,  and  to  some  il- 
lustrations of  these  articles,  drawn  from  standard  writings  of 
that  denomination. 

The  Bible  and   Til^vditions. 

Traditions,  it  will  be  seen,  are  placed  before  the  Bible  in 
.his  epitome  of  faith.  Indeed,  the  Word  of  God,  as  a  rule  of 
oelief  and  conduct  is,  in  effect,  done  away;  and  the  interpreta- 
tions of  the  church  are  put  in  its  place.  So  that  in  every  case, 
the  inquiry  of  the  faithful  Romanist  must  be — not  what  saith 
the  scripture — but,  what  saith  ''Mother  Church?'''*  Not  to  fol- 
low the  church,  however  opposed  she  may  be  to  the  Bible, 
would  be  a  violation  of  his  oath. 

The  celebrated  Council  of  Trent,  which  was  called  by  a 
Bull  of  Pope  Paul  III.  in  the  year  1542,  decreed  that  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  church  received  and  venerated  with  equal  affec- 
tion of  piety  and  reverence,  the  Bible  and  traditions.  "Om- 
nes  libros  tam  veteris  quam  novi  Testamenti, — nee  non  Tra- 
ditiones — pari  pietatis  affectunc  revercntia  suscipitj  et  venera- 
tur.'*''  When,  however,  tradition  was  not  in  accordance  vvitli 
the  Word  of  God,  it  would  be  manifestly  impossible  to  conform 
to  this  decree,  unless  a  man  could  conscientiously  receive  and 
reverence  a  truth  and  its  opposite  error  at  the  same  time.  And 
therefore,  to  relieve  the  conscience  of  the  Romanist,  it  was 
oecessary  that  the  right  of  interpre^'llg  thQ  Bible  should  be 


ROMAN    CATHOLIC    FAITH.  251 

^ven  exclusively  to  Mother  Church,  who  is  also  the  keeper 
of  Tradition.  Hence  the  Paj)ist  has,  in  fact  and  strictly  spfeak- 
mg,  only  one  standard  of  faith,  and  that  is  neither  the  Bible 
nor  Tradition,  but  the  Church.  He  professes,  indeed,  to  ac- 
knowledge both  the  scriptures  and  tradition;  but  he  is  really 
bound  to  receive  and  obey  v/hatever  Mother  Church  declares 
to  be  the  truth  as  contained  in  the  Bible  and  Tradition.  She 
mu:U  decide  for  him  in  every  case,  and  from  her  judgment 
there  can  be  no  appeal.  What  her  judgment  is  concerning 
the  reading  of  the  scriptures  by  the  people,  let  us  now  see.  It 
is  to  be  found  in  the  fourth  of  the  "Te/i  Rules  concerning  pro- 
hibited Books,''''  established  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Council  of 
Trent,  and  Pope  Pius  Fourth. 

"Since,  by  experiment,  it  is  manifest  that  if  the  holy  bible  in 
the  common  tongue  be  universally  and  indiscriminately  per 
mitted,  more  harm  than  utility  will  thence  arise,  on  account  of 
the  temerity  of  men — in  this  particular  let  it  be  determined  bj^ 
the  judgment  of  the  Bishop  or  Inquisitor, — so  that,  with  his 
counsel,  the  parish  ministers  or  confessors,  can  grant  the  read- 
ing of  the  bible  in  the  common  tongue,  translated  by  Catholic 
authors,  to  those  who  they  shall  have  understood,  can,  from 
reading  of  this  kind,  receive  not  loss,  but  increase  of  faith  and 
piety, — which  license  let  them  have  in  writing.  But  he  who 
shall  presume,  without  such  license,  to  read  or  have  the  bible, 
unless  it  first  be  given  up  to  the  ordinary,  cannot  receive  ab- 
solution of  sins.  Moreover,  let  Booksellers,  who  shall  sell,  or 
in  any  other  way  grant  the  bible  written  in  the  common  dia- 
lect, to  a  person  not  having  the  aforesaid  license,  lose  the 
price  of  the  book,  to  be  converted  by  the  Bishop  to  pious  uses, 
and  let  them  be  subjected  to  other  punishments,  according  to 
the  quality  of  their  offence,  at  the  will  of  the  same  Bishop. 
Furthermore,  Regulars,  (that  is,  those  who  are  bound  by  the 
rules  of  some  religious  order,  as  Dominicans,  Franciscans,  &-c.) 
excei>t  by  license  had  from  their  prelates,  cannot  read  or  buy 
the  bible." 

It  will  be  perceived  that  this  law  places  the  reading  of  the 
scripture  '  among  Romanisti?,  entirely  under  the  control  of 
Bishops  a.d  Inquisitors.  Without  their  consent  and  approba 
tion,  the  bible  cannot  be  sold,  bought,  read  or  j.ossesse^.  Is 
it  wonderful,  therefore,  that  Pope  Pius  VII,  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  (June  29,  1S16,)  \hould  have  used  the  following  lan- 
guage concerning  Bible  Societies? — "We  have  been  truly 
Bhockcd  at  this  most  crafty  device,  (Bible  Societies)  by  which 
Ihe  very  foundatior^s  of  religion"  (Roman  Catholicism)  "ai« 


252  A   SUMMARY   OF   THE 

undermined.  We  have  deliberated  upon  the  ma  isiires  prope? 
to  be  adopted  by  our  pontifical  authority,  in  order  to  remedy 
and  abolish  this  pestilence,  as  far  as  possible, — This  defilement 
of  the  faith  so  imminently  dangerous  to  souls.  It  becomes 
episcopal  duty,  (i.  e.  the  duty  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Bisho|)S,) 
that  you  first  of  all,  expose  the  wickedness  of  tiiis  n(farious 
scheme.  It  is  evident  from  experience,  that  the  holy  scrip- 
tures, when  circulated  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  have,  through  the 
temerity  of  men,  produced  more  harm  than  benefit.  Warn 
the  people  entrusted  to  your  care,  that  they  fall  not  into  the 
snares  prepared  for  their  everlasting  rviri'''  (that  is,  as  you  value 
your  souls,  have  nothing  to  do  with  Bible  Societies,  or  the  bi- 
bles they  circulate.)  "The  deep  sorrow  we  feel  on  account 
of  this  new  species  of  tares,  which  an  Adversary  has  so  abun- 
dantly sown."  * 

It  requires  only  the  power  in  the  hands  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic church  to  make  the  Word  of  God  a  prohibited  hook  in 
every  land. 

Opus  Operatum,  or  the  Efficacy  of  the  Sacraments. 

Romanists  hold  that  the  Sacraments  "  confer  grace,"  ex  op- 
tre  operato,  i.  e.  by  the  work  wrought,  or  "  by  virtue  of  the 
work  and  word  done  and  said  in  the  sacraments."  According- 
ly, to  instance  one  ordinance,  they  hold  that  every  person  bap- 
tized is  thereby  justified;  and  that  none  are  ever  justified  with- 
out baptism: — "instrumentalis  (causa)  justificationis  Sacramen- 
tum  Baptismi;  quod  est  Sacramentum  fidei,  sine  qua  nulli 
umquam  contigit  Justificatio. — (Concillii  Trid.  Sess.  VI.  Cap. 
VII.)  "  Faith  i-n  the  receiver  giveth  no  efficacy  to  the  sacra- 
ment, but  only  taketh  away  the  lets  and  impediments  which 
might  hinder  the  efficacy  of  the  sacraments;  as  the  dryness 
of  the  wood  maketh  it  to  burn  the  better,  yet  it  is  no  efficient 
ca^-se  of  the  burning,  which  is  the  fire  only,  but  only  a  help." 
— (Willet.  Synop.  Papismi.  Bellarm.  Lib.  2,  De  Sac.  Cap.  1.) 
Protestants  deny  that  the  ordinances  have  any  power  to  confer 
ff-ace  "  ex  opere  operate :"  they  regard  these  simply  as  the 
means  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  strengthening 
faith  and  other  graces,  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  same  spirit. 
If  there  is  no  faith  exercised,  it  is  unscriptural  and  unreason- 
able to  suppose  there  can  be  any  blessing  in  the  participation 
of  an  ordinance.     On  the  contrary,  such  participation  is  to 

*  Tlie  above  Denunciatory  Epistle,  e  Bull,  was  addressed  to  the  Primata 
»f  Poland 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC  FA^H.  253 

profane  God'?  institution,  and  brings  c  'j\v:i  condemnation  on 
the  head  of  t?  e  guilty. 

From  the  s  jperstitious  notion  that  the  sacraments  "confer 
grace,"  ex  op  ere  operate,  have  arisen  manifold  and  most  enor- 
mous abuses.  Such  a  principle  cai'ried  out  into  practice^ 
must  necessarily  destroy  the  spiritual  character  of  Christ's 
church.  All,  according  to  this  system,  who  come  to  the  sac- 
raments are  Christians,  and  all  ought  to  come,  because  grace 
is  conferred  ex  opere  operato.  A  church  may  in  this  way  be 
built  up  entirely  of  worldly  and  unconverted  men,  who  merely 
<;onform  to  the  outward  institutions  of  religion.  How  far 
such  a  state  of  things  has  been  realized,  facts  but  too  plainly 
show. 

That  the  reader  may  have  more  fully  before  him  the  views 
which  the  papal  church  maintains  concerning  the  power  of 
the  sacraments,  ^ve  subjoin  a  few  passages  from  the  procetd- 
ings  of  the  Council  of  Trent.  "  Si  quis  dixerit,  per  ipsa 
novae  legis  Sacramenta  ex  opere  operato  non  conferri  gratiam, 
sed  solum  fidem  divinae  promissionis  ad  gratiam  consequendam 
sufficere:  anathema  sit."  If  any  one  shall  say,  that  grace 
is  not  conferred  by  the  sacraments  of  the  new  law  (gospel)  ex 
opere  operato  (by  the  work  wrought;)  but  that  only  faith  in 
the  divine  promise  suffices  to  obtain  grace :  let  him  be  accur 
sed!  (Sess.  vii..  Can.  viii.)  "  Si  quis  dixerit,  in  tribus  Sacra- 
mentis,  Baptismo  scilicet,  Confirmatione,  et  Ordine,  non  im- 
piimi  characterem  in  anima,  hoc  est,  signum  quoddam  spiritale 
et  indelebile,  undo  ea  iterari  non  possunt:  anathe>ia  sit.'' 
If  any  one  shall  say,  that  in  the  three  sacraments,  viz:  Bap- 
tism, Confirmation,  and  Orders,  there  is  not  impressed  on  the 
soul  a  character,  that  is,  a  certain  spiritual  and  indelible 
sign,  on  account  of  which  these  (sacraments)  are  not  to  be 
repeated:  let  him  be  accursed!     (Sess.  vii..  Can.  ix.) 

If  any  deny  that  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which 
is  conferred  in  Baptism,  the  guilt  of  original  sin  is  taken 
away, — or  even  assert  that  all  that  is  not  taken  away  (in  bap- 
tism) which  has  the  true  and  proper  nature  of  sin,  but  that  it 
is  only  erased  (?)  or  not  imputed:  let  him  be  accursed.  For 
in  those  born  again  (that  is  baptized)  God  hates  nothing. — 
(Sess.  V.  Decret.  de  pec.  orig.) 

But  as  it  was  perfectly  manifest  that  baptized  children,  as 
well  as  others,  when  they  grew  up,  exhibited  evil  inclinations 
and  dispositions;  so  in  order  to  get  over  this  difficulty,  the 
council  bo-dly  denies  that  such  inclicaticns  and  dispositions, 
are    truly   and   properly   sin,   and  pronounces  those  oecuiy 

Y 


254  A  SUM3IARY  OF  THE 

sed  who  think  otherwise.^  If  this  procedure  was  not  making 
void  the  law  of  G^d  by  man's  tradition,  it  is  hard  to  say  what 
constitutes  such  impiety.  "  Hanc  concupiscentiam,  quam 
aliquando  Apostolus  peccatum  appellat,  sancta  synodus  decla- 
rat  Ecclesiam  Catholicam  numquam  intellexisse  peccatum  ap- 
pellari,  quod  vere  et  proprie  in  renatis  peccatum  sit,  sed  quia 
ex  peccato  est,  et  ad  peccatum  inclinat.  Si  quis  autem  con- 
trarium  senserit,  a?;athema  sit."  This  concupiscence,  (or 
lusting  to  evil,)  which  the  apostle  sometimes  calls  sin,  the 
holy  Synod  (of  Trent)  declares  that  the  Catholic  church  has 
never  understood  it  to  be  called  sin  in  such  a  sense,  that  there 
is  tridy  and  properly  sin  in  those  born  again  (baptized);  but 
(it  is  called  sin)  because  it  proceeded  from  sin,  and  inclines 
to  sin.  If  any  man  shall  think  otherwise,  let  him  be  accur- 
sed!    (Sess.  V.  ut  antea.) 

Original  Sin  and  Justification. 

The  Council  of  Trent  does  not  maintain  the  ctoctrine  of 
total  depravity  in  consequence  of  Adam's  transgression ;.  but 
simply  that  he  was  changed  thereby  for  the  worse  in  body  and 
soul, — "  secundum  corpus  et  animam  in  deterius  commutatum 
fuisse."  (Sess.  v.  Decret.  de  Pec.  Orig.)  Accordingly  Car- 
dinal Bellarmine  thus  defines  original  sin:  "  Privatio  seu  ca- 
rentia  doni  justitise  originalis,  vel  habitualis  aversio  a  Deo." 
A  privation  or  want  of  the  gift  of  original  righteousness,  or 
an  habitual  turning  away  from  God.  He  denies  that  this  sin 
is  any  evil  disposition  or  quality  inherent  in  us,  but  it  arises 
only  "  ex  carentia  justitiee  originalis,  7ion  ex  irisita  aliqua 
qualitate. "  Of  course  he  denies  also,  with  the  council  of 
Trent,  that  the  concupiscence,  or  lusting  to  evil  which  exists 
in  baptized  persons  is  truly  and  properly  sin. 

The  Council  of  Trent  declares  also,  as  we  have  before  seen, 
that  original  sin  is  altogether  taken  avv\ay  in  baptism — "totum 
lolli;"  that  without  this  ordinance  none  can  be  justified — and 
consequently  that  baptism  is  necessary  to  the  salvation  even  of 
inflmts.  "  Si  quis — negat  ipsum  Christi  Jcsu  meritum  per  bap- 
tismi  Sacramentum  in  forma  Ecclesite  rite  collatum  tam  adul- 
tis  quam  parvulis  appiicari,  anathema  sit.  Quod  (originals 
peccatum)  regenerationis  lavacro  neccsse  sit  expiari  ad  vitam 
ccternam  consequendam.  And  though  Bellarmine  affirms  also 
that  infants  dying  without  baptism  are  eternally  punished, 
yet  he  maintains  that  it  is  only  a  punishment  of  loss  (of  hea- 
ven f),  not  of  pa'n,  or  senr  ible  fire"-— damni,  non  sensus,  sive 
ignis  sonsibilis.'^ 


E0MA11  CATHOLIC  FAITH.  255 

On  the  subject  of  justification,* Roman  Catholiv*s  hold  a 
doctrine  entirely  opp  ^sed  to  that  of  Protestants,  and  as  this 
point  is  fundamenfeil  in  Christianity,  so  the  one  or  the  otlier 
has  here  altogether  departed  from  the  faith  of  the  Gospel.  The 
latter  assert  that  the  obedience  of  the  Saviour  unto  death,  or 
in  one  word,  the  merits  or  righteousness  of  all  done  or  suffer- 
ed by  the  incarnate  Redeemer,  is  the  sole  ground  of  a  sinner's 
acceptance  in  the  sight  of  heaven;  that  he  stands  on  that 
ground  simply  by  faith ;  and  that  Christian  holiness  or  a  good 
life  is  the  necessary  fruits  and  evidences  of  justification. — 
Good  works,  so  far  from  being  in  any  way  the  ground  or  cause 
of  justification,  are  never  performed  until  we  have  becnjusti- 
Hed  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  scheme,  it 
will  be  perceived,  takes  away  from  the  sinner  all  room  for 
boasting,  lays  him  in  the  dust,  and  gives  the  whole  glory  of 
his  salvation  from  beginning  to  end  to  '  God  our  Saviour." 

Protestants  are  very  careful  to  distinguish  between  justifica- 
tion and  sanctification, — the  latter  being  in  each  penitent 
believer  simply  the  consequence  and  proof  of  the  former:  So 
that  no  man,  according  to  their  views,  can  entertain  a  good 
hope  that  he  has  been  justified,  or  pardoned,  and  regarded  as 
righteous  before  God,  who  doth  not  bring  forth  the  fruits  cf 
sanctification — who  is  not  holy  in  heart  and  life. 

What  the  views  of  Romanists  are  on  this  most  importan 
subject,  may  be  seen  in  the  subjoined  extracts  from  the  decis- 
ions of  the  Council  of  Trent: 

The  alone  formal  cause  (of  justification)  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  God — that  righteousness  with  which  he  makes  us  right- 
eous— with  which  forsooth  we  are  endowed  by  him :  we  re- 
ceiving this  righteousness  within  ourselves,  every  one  accord- 
ing to  his  measure,  which  the  Holy  Spirit  divides  to  each  as  he 
wills,  and  according  to  each  person's  own  disposition  and  co- 
operation.    (Sess.  vi..  Cap.  vii.) 

Here  we  see  that  the  "  formal,"*  that  is,  essential  cause  of 
justification,  is  the  man's  own  holiness,  or  m  other  words,  that 
righteousness  with  which  the  spirit  cf  God  endues  him.  Sanc- 
tification is  the  ground  of  justification.  How  large  a  space  is 
here  given  for  glorymg  in  the  merit  of  works ! 

And  as  according  to  the  faith  of  Romanists  a  man  is  justified 
by  his  own  holiness,  so  they  assert,  that  justification  admits  oj 

**' Formal,  having  the  power  of  making  a  thing  what  it  is — cor.r.'tuent, 
esssntied."  Webster. — When,  e.  g,  the  Saviour  is  said  to  be  in  the  ^VJ-m  ol 
God — the  meaning  if,  he  is  essentially  God. 


!256  H  SU30IARY  OF  THE 

increase.  "  Sic  ergo  jastificati,  et  amici  Dei,  ac  Domestici  fao 
ti  euntes  de  virtuto  in  virtutem,  renovantur,  ut  apostolus  i» 
quit,  de  die  in  diem :  hoc  est,  mortificando  membra  carnis  suae, 
etexhibendo  ea  arma  justitiae  in  sanctificationem,  per  observa- 
tionem  mandatorum  Dei,  et  EcclesicB,  in  ipsa  justitia  per 
Christi  gratiam  accepta,  cooperante  fide  bonis  operibus,  cres- 
cunt,  atque  magis  justificantur."  Thus,  then,  justified  men, 
made  the  friends  and  servants  of  God,  going  on  from  virtue  to 
virtue,  are  renewed,  as  the  apostle  says,  from  day  to  day ;  that 
is,  in  mortifying  the  members  of  their  flesh,  and  in  using 
these  as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto  holiness  by  obser- 
vance of  the  laws  of  God  and  of  the  Church,  they  increase  in 
that  righteousness  received  by  the  grace  of  Christ,  faith  co- 
operating with  good  works,  and  are  more  justified." — (Sess. 
vi.  Chap.  X.) 

"  Si  quis  dixerit  homines — per  eam  ipsam,"  (i.  e.  justitiam 
Christi,)  "formaliter  justos  esse;  anathema  sit."  Sess.  vi. 
Canon  x.)  If  any  one  shall  say  that  men  are  formally  (es- 
sentially)  justified  by  the  very  righteousness  of  Christ,  let 
him  be  accursed. 

"  Si  quis  dixerit,  homines,  justificari — sola  imputatione  jus- 
titiae Christi, — anathema  sit."  If  any  one  shall  say  that  men 
are  justified  solely  hy  the  imputation  of  Christ'' s  righteousness; 
let  him  be  accursed. — (Can.  xi.) 

"Si  quis  dixerit,  fidem  justificantem  nihil  aliud  esse  quam 
fiduciam  divinae  misericordiae,  peccata  remittentis  propter 
Christum;  vel  eam  fiduciam  solam  esse  qua  justificamur; 
anathema  sit."  If  any  one  shall  say  that  justifying  faith  is 
no  other  than  a  reliance  on  divine  mercy  remitting  sin  for 
Christ's  sake;  or  that  it  is  this  reliance  (trust,  or  faith) 
alone,  by  which  we  are  justified;  let  him  be  accursed. — 
(Can.  xii.) 

How  could  the  great  scripture  doctrine  of  justification 
through  faith  alone  on  the  sole  ground  of  the  merits  or  right- 
eousness of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  be  more  plainly  expressed 
than  it  is  in  the  three  preceding  extracts  from  the  Canons  of 
he  Council  of  Trent?  And  yet  this  precious,  fundamental 
truth  of  the  gospel,  and  the  only  foundation  of  hope  to  the  re- 
ally awakened,  penitent,  believing  soul,  is  here  condemned; 
and  all  who  hold  it  are  cursed  by  the  Church  of  Rome !  And 
now  long  such  cursed  heretics  would  escape  the  flames  of  the 
Inquisition,  had  "holy  Mother  Church"  the  power  of  erecting 
one  in  this  land,  deserves  the  serious  consideration  of  all  wh« 
value  their  religious  and  civil  liberty. 


RO^IAN  CATHOLIC  FAITH.  257 

Let  the  reader  weigh  well  the  following  canon  "  Si  quis 
dixerit,  justitiam  acceptam  non  conservari,  atque  etiam  augeri 
coram  Deo  per  bona  opera :  sed  opera  ipsa  fructus  solum  mo- 
do  et  signa  esse  justificationis  adept^e,  non  autem  ipsius  au- 
gendae  causam;  anathema  sit."  If  any  one  shall  say  that  jus- 
tification received  is  not  preserved,  and  also  increased  before 
God  through  good  icorks;  but  that  such  works  are  only  the 
l*uits  and  signs  of  justification  obtained,  and  not  a  cause  of  its 
increase;  let  him  be  accursed." — (Can.  xxiv.) 

How  does  the  following  canon  agree  with  these  scriptures? 
"There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth  that  doeth  good,  and  sin- 
neth  not. — If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  our- 
selves, and  the  truth  is  not  in  us.  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he 
is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins.  Cursed  is  every 
one  that  continueth.  not  in  all  things  which  are  written  in 
the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them.  The  law  of  the  liOrd  is 
perfect.  The  law  is  holy;  and  the  commandment  holy,  just, 
and  good." 

If  any  shall  say  that  a  justified  man  sins  venially,  at  least,  in 
any  good  work,  or,  what  is  still  more  intolerable,  that  he  sins 
mortally,  and  therefore  deserves  eternal  punishments;  and  on 
account  cf  that  (the  sin  of  his  good  work)  he  is  not  condemned 
only  because  God  does  not  impute  these  works  for  condemna- 
tion; let  him  be  accursed." — (Can.  xxv.) 

We  subjoin  but  two  more  canons  on  the  subject  of  justifica 
tion; — these,  the  serious  reader  of  the  Bible  will  allow,  need 
no  comment. 

"If  any  one  shall  say  that  after  the  grace  of  justification  is 
received,  the  sin  of  the  penitent  sinner  so  remitted,  and  his 
desert  (guilt)  of  eternal  punishment  so  blotted  out,  there  re- 
mains no  desert  of  temporal  punishment  to  be  paid  in  this 
world,  or  hereafter  in  Purgatory,  before  an  access  to  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  can  be  open  to  him; — let  him  be  accursed." — 
(Can.  XXX.) 

"If  any  one  shall  say,  thai  the  good  works  of  a  justified  man 
are  so  the  gifts  of  God,  tha^  they  are  not  the  good  merits  of  the 
justified  man  himself;  or  hat  the  justified  man  hy  the  good 
works  which  are  done  b}  nim  through  *he  grace  of  God  and 
the  merit  of  Christ,  does  not  truly  deserve  the  increase  of 
grace,  eternal  life,  and,  provided  he  die  in  a  state  of  grace,  the 
attainment  of  eternal  life  itself,  and  the  increase  of  g'ory;  lei 
him  be  accursed. — (Can.  xxxii.) 

y2 


258  a  summary  of  the 

Transubstantiation. 

Roman  Catliolics  believe  that  after  the  consecration  of  the 
bread  and  wine  by  the  priest  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  these 
are  changed  into  God,  and  as  such  ought  therefore  to  be  war 
shipped. 

Those,  however,  who  have  always  had  the  scripture  light 
and  other  religious  advantages  which  are  possessed  in  protes- 
tant  communities,  can  scarcely  suppose  it  possible  that  so 
monstrously  superstitious  and  idolatrous  a  dogma  as  that  of 
Transubstantiation,  could  be  received  by  any  body  of  profess 
ing  christians.  But  such  doubts  will  all  be  immediately  re- 
moved by  a  reference  to  any  of  the  doctrinal  standards  of  the 
Church  of  Rome. 

"In  the  first  place,  the  Holy  Synod  teaches,  and  openly  and 
simply  professes,  that  in  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist, 
after  the  consecration  of  the  bread  and  wine,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  true  God  and  man,  is  truly,  really,  and  substantially 
contained  under  the  form  of  these  sensible  things."  That  is, 
what  appears  still  the  bread  and  wine,  is  really  no  more  so, 
but  they  are  now  "our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  true  God  and  man!'''' 
Such  is  the  explanation  given  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the 
same  session.  This  holy  Synod  declares  that  by  the  conse- 
cration of  the  bread  and  wine,  a  change  is  made  of  the 
whole  substance  of  the  bread  into  the  substance  of  the  body 
of  our  Lord  Christ,  and  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  wine 
into  the  substance  of  his  blood.  Which  change  is  suitably 
and  properly  called  by  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  Transub 
stantiation. 

And  as  the  bread  and  wine  have  thus  become  God,  in  the 
estimation  of  Romanists,  so  the  next  chapter  directs  that  the 
Sacrament  he  worshipped  as  the  true  God.  "NuUus  itaque 
dubitandi  locus  relinqaitur,  quin  omnes  Christi  fideles  pro  mo- 
re in  Catholica  Ecciesia  semper  recepto  latrice  cidtum,  qui 
vero  Deo  dehetur,  huic  sanctissimo  Sacramento  in  veneratione 
exhibeant."  There  is  therefore  no  room  for  doubt  but  that  all 
Christ's  faithful  people,  according  to  the  custom  always  re- 
ceived in  the  Catholic  Church,  should,  in  veneration,  offer  tc 
this  most  holy  sacrament,  the  worship  (latriue  cultum)  which 
is  due  to  the  true  God.  The  council  then  goes  on  in  the  first 
and  sixth  canons  to  curse  those  who  deny  the  doctrine  of 
Transubstantiation,  and  hold  the  views  of  the  protestants  on 
the  subject  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  those  also  who  say  thai 
•He  worshippers  of  the  Eucharist  are  idolaters. 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC  FAITH.  259 

As  the  church  of  Rome  teaches  that  the  elements  of  the 
I/)rd's  Supper  are  really  and  substantially  changed  into  the 
Divine  Saviour,  so  she  also  teaches  that  this  Sacrament  is  a 
sacrifice, — "sacrosanctum  missae  sacrificium," — the  3iost  ho- 
ly SACRIFICE  OF  THE  Mass, — and  that  it  is  "propitiatorum 
pro  vivis  et  defunctis," — a  propitiation  for  the  living  and  the 
dead  j  and  that  it  is  the  same  victim  that  ^vas  offered  on  the 
cross,  so  those  who,  wi'h  due  preparation  come  to  it,  (mass,) 
will  obtain  ojrace  and  the  pardon  of  then  sins: — "non  solum 
pro  fideliun.  vivorum  peccatis,  poenis,  satisfactionibus,  et  aliis 
necessitatibus,  sed  et  pro  defunctis  in  Christo  nondum  ad  ple- 
num purgatis,  rite,  juxta  apostolorum  traditionem,  offertur," — 
that  not  only  for  the  sins,  punishments,  satisfactions, and  other 
necessities  of  the  faithful  who  are  living,  but  also  for  those 
who,  having  died  in  Christ,  are  not  yet  fully  purified,  (in  pur- 
gatory,) it  (sacrifice  of  mass)  is  rightly,  and  according  to  the 
Apostles'  tradition,  offered.     (Sess.  xxiii.  cap.  1,  2.) 

The  doctrine  of  the  mass  is,  therefore,  that  the  elements, 
changed  by  consecration,  are  a  real  victim,  the  incarnate  Sa- 
viour; that  the  officiating  Priest  offers  the  divine  sacrifice; 
and  that  on  the  ground  of  this  sacrifice  or  atonement,  the  par 
don  of  sin  and  oiher  benefits  are  obtained  by  the  living  and 
by  the  dead.  That  such  a  doctrine  robs  the  Saviour  of  his 
glory  and  overturns  the  whole  gospel  system  of  salvation  is 
most  manifest.  "Without  shedding  of  blood"  declares  the 
Apostle,  "is  no  remission"  of  sin.  "By  one  offering  he  (the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ)  hath  perfected  forever  them  that  are  sanc- 
tified." -'The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  Hn.'^'^ 
Every  reader  of  the  word  of  God  is  aware  that  it  abounds  with 
similar  testimonies. 

PURGATOEY. 

Purgatory,  according  to  the  Romish  creed,  is  a  certain  place 
to  which  are  sent  the  souls  of  those  who.  die  in  venial  sin,  or 
whose  sins  have  been  remitted,  but  the  punishment  of  them  not 
satisfied.  These  souls  are  purified  by  the  fire  of  Purgatory, 
and  thus  made  meet  for  heaven,  to  which  at  last  they  ail  safe- 
ly arrive. 

"Purgatorium  esse;"  declares  the  Council  of  Trent,  (Sess, 
XXV.)  "animasque  ibi  detentas,  fidelium  s.uff'ragiis,  potissimum 
vero  acceptabili  altaris  sacrificio  juvari."  There  is  a  purga- 
tory; and  the  souls  there  detained  are  helped  by  the  suffrages 
(favors)  of  the  faithful,  but  most  of  all  by  the  acceptable  sacri- 
fice of  the  altar  (mass.)     What  these  suff*rages  are  we  are 


260  A  SUM3IARY  OF  THE 

taught  in  the  latter  part  of  the  decree— "Missarnm  saciificia; 
orationes,  eleemosynse,  aliaque  pietatis  opera,  qiice  a  fidelibus 
pro  aliis  fidelibus  defunctis  fieri  consueverunt."  Sacrifices 
of  masses,  prayers,  alms,  and  other  works  of  piety  which 
are  wont  to  be  performed  by  the  faithful,  for  oth(;r  faithful 
deceased. 

The  doctrine  of  Purgatory  is  most  adroitly  calculated  tc 
secure  an  irresistible  influence  over  an  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious people.  Only  let  it  be  believed  that  the  soul  is  exqui- 
sitely tormented  in  a  fire,  from  which  the  celebration  of  masses 
can  deliver  it,  and  the  priest  has  at  once  a  strong  rein  upon  the 
necks  of  surviving  relatives  and  friends,  and  a  sure  key  to 
their  pockets.  Accordingly,  masses  for  souls  in  Purgatory 
have  always  been  a  most  gainful  trade  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 
It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  the  council  commands  that 
the  existence  of  Purgatory  be  believed,  held,  taught,  and  eve- 
ry where  preached,  and  curses  those  who  deny  the  efficacy  of 
mass  in  relieving  souls  there  detained. 

Worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  Saints,  Reliuues, 
BlAGES,  (Soc. 

Romanists  are  taught  by  their  Church  that  the  Virgin  Ma- 
ry and  other  saints  in  heaven  pray  for  the  faithful  on  earth, 
and  that  these  ought  to  pray  to  Mary  and  other  deceased  saints 
to  intercede  with  God  for  them.  "Sanctos,  una  cum  Christo 
rcgnantes,  orationes  suas  pro  hominibus  Deo  offerre,  bonum 
atque  utile  esse  suppliciter  eos  invocare,  et  ob  beneficia  impe- 
tranda  a  Deo  per  filium  ejus,  Jesum  Christum — ad  eorum 
orationes,  opem  auxiliumque  confugere."  The  holy  Synod 
commands  the  Bishops  and  other  instructors  in  the  Church, — 
to  teach  the  people  "that  the  saints  reigning  together  with 
Christ  offer  their  prayers  for  men  to  God ;  that  it  is  good  and 
usefiil  suppliantly  to  pray  to  them;  and  for  obtaining  benefits 
from  God  through  his  son  Jesus  Christ,  to  fly  to  their  prayers, 
help,  and  assistance." — (Sess.  xxv.) 

Having  stated  the  doctrine  of  saint-worship,  we  w^ill  now 
subjoin  two  or  three  specimens  of  its  fruits, — prayers  addressed 
to  saints. 

"  Holy  Mother  of  God,  who  hast  rvortliily  merited  to  con- 
ceive him  whom  the  world  could  not  comprehend ;  by  thy 
pious  intervention  wash  awav^  our  sins,  that  so,  being  redeemed 
by  thee,  we  may  be  able  to  ascend  to  the  seat  of  everlasting 
glory,  &c." 

^KD  Martyr  Christopher, — Confer  comf  jrt,  and  remove  heav- 


ROMAN    CATHOLIC    FAITH.  261 

incss  of  minrl :  and  cause,  that  the  examination  of  the  Judge 
may  be  mild  toward  all.'*' 

*'0  William,  thou  good  Shepherd, — Cleanse  us  in  our  ago- 
ny; grant  us  aid;  remove  the  Jilthiness  of  our  life;  a."ad  gram 
the  joys  of  a  celestial  crown." 

"O  ve  eleven  thousand  glorious  Maids,  lilies  of  virginity, 
roses  of  martyrdom,  defend  me  in  life  by  affording  to  me  your 
assistance:  and  show  yourselves  to  me  in  death  by  bringing 
the  last  consolation."- -(Collect,  in  Hor.  ad  usum  sacrum,  as 
quoted  in  Faber's  Difficulties  of  Romanism,  p.  191,2.) 

On  the  subject  of  relique-worship,  the  council  decrees  as 
follows:  "Sanctorum  quoque  Martyrum,  et  aliorum  cum 
Christo  viventium  sancta  corpora,  quae  viva  membra  fuerunt 
Christi,  et  tempi umSpiritus  Sancti,  ab  ipso  ad  a^ternam  vilam 
suscitanda  et  glorificanda  a  fidelibus  veneranda  esse :  per  quee 
multabeneficiaa  Deohominibus  prsestantur:  &c. — (Sess.xxv.) 
The  holy  bodies  of  saints,  also  of  martyrs,  and  of  others  living 
with  Christ,  which  (bodies)  have  been  living  members  of 
Christ,  and  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  which  by  him 
(Christ)  are  to  be  raised  to  eternal  life  and  glorified; — (these 
bodies)  are  to  be  venerated. 

What  this  religious  veneration  is,  which  the  council  here 
decrees  to  relics,  we  may  learn  from  a  late  work  on  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Catholic  church,  by  the  Bishop  of  Aire.  "From 
God,  as  its  source,"  says  the  Bishop,  "the  icorship,  with  which 
we  honor  relics,  originates;  and  to  God,  as  its  end, it  ultimate- 
ly and  terminatively  reverts." — (Discuss.  Amic.  Lett.  XV". 
Faber's  Diff.  of  Rom.  p.  194.)  But  the  worship  which  origi- 
nates from  God,  and  reverts  to  him,  must,  if  any  species  of  re- 
ligious service  is  entitled  to  the  distinction,  be  the  most  exalted 
worship — it  is  true  and  proper  worship,  that  which,  according 
to  the  scriptures,  is  due  to  God  alone. 

The  Worship  of  Images  is  enjoined  in  the  following  terms, 
^Imagines  porro  Christi,  Deiparse  Virginis,  et  aliorum  sancto- 
Tum,  in  templis  pra^sertim  habendas  et  retinendas,  eisque  de- 
bitum  honorem  et  venerationem  impertiendam,"  &c.  (Sess. 
XXV.)  Moreover,  the  Images  of  Christ,  the  God-bearing  Vir- 
gin, and  of  other  saints,  are,  in  churches  especially,  to  be  had 
and  retained,  and  due  honor  and  veneration  are  to  be  given  to 
them.  That  by  this  veneration,  religious  worship  is  really  in- 
tended, is  plain  from  what  follows, — "honos,  qui  eisexhibetur 
refertur  ad  protoiypa,  quse  illse  repraesentant,"  &,c.  The  honor 
which  is  shown  to  them  (the  images)  is  referred  to  the  origin- 
als which  these  represent.     In  the  case,  then,  of  the  image  of 


262  A    SUM3L\RY    OF   THE 

Christ,  the  i(?entical  honor  which  is  given  to  him,  is  shewn  to 
the  image ;  but  this  is  true  and  proper  worship.  The  councii 
apparently  apprehensive,  as  well  they  might  be,  that  they 
would  be  thought  idolaters,  thus  endeavor,  in  anticipation,  to 
escape  the  imputation,  "non  quod  credatur  inesse  aliquam  iis 
divinitas  vel  virtus,  propter  quam  sint  colendae,"  &c.  Not  that 
it  is  believed  there  is  any  divinity  in  the  images,  or  virtue,  on 
account  of  v.hich  they  are  to  be  worshipped,  &c.;  but  the 
same  reply  was  uniformly  made  by  the  ancient  Pagan  Ro- 
mans, and  wher.  charged  with  idolatry,  for  worshipping  before 
the  images  of  Jupiter,  &lc.  and  yet  the  apostle  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  speak  of  them  as  heathens. 

Indulgences. 

Bella.rmine,  the  celebrated  defender  of  the  Romish  Church,, 
tells  us  that  indulgence  is  "remissionem  poenarum,  quae  rema- 
nent luendse  post  remissionem  culparum:" — (Bellar.  De  In- 
dulg.  Lib.  1,  ch.  1.) 

The  remission  of  the  punishments  which  remain  to  be  satis- 
fied for,  after  the  remission  of  faults.  He  who  purchases  an 
indulgence,  procures  thereby  a  remission  of  those  purgatorial 
fires  which  otherwise  he  must  suffer  on  account  of  his  sins. — 
The  sale  of  indulgences  is  a  very  extensive  and  gainful  trade 
in  Roman  Catholic  communities,  and  the  effects  of  such  a 
trade  on  the  minds  and  manners  of  the  people,  cannot  but  be 
most  deplorable.  "That  religion,"  says  Dr.  Johnson,  a  late 
traveller  in  Italy,  "cannot  offer  very  formidable  checks  to  im 
morality,  or  even  crime,  which  hangs  up  ^Plenary  Indulgence' 
on  every  chapel-door.  He  who  can  easily  clear  the  board  of 
his  conscience  on  Sunday,  has  surely  a  strong  temptation  to 
begin  chalking  up  a  fresh  score  on  Monday  or  Tuesday."  It 
was  the  shocking  consequences  of  an  extraordinary  sale  of  in- 
dulgences,  that  opened  the  eyes  of  Luther  to  the  abominations 
of  Romanism,  and  thus  led  to  the  Reformation.  The  very 
bonds  of  society  seemed  to  be  loosening  and  dlssoivingj,  an6 
crimes  of  the  most  frightful  character  obtained  license  by  the 
flood  of  indulgences  that  was  pouring  in  upon  the  country. 

'Such  indulgences  were  first  invented  in  the  eleventn  oeii-j^i 
ry,  by  Urban  II.  as  a  recompense  for  those  who  went  in  pni 
son  ipon  the  glorious  enterprise  of  conquering  the  Holy  Land. 
They  were  afterwards  granted  to  those  who  hired  a  soldier 
for  that  purpose ;  and  in  process  of  time  were  bestowed  on 
such  as  gave  money  for  accomplishing  any  pious  work  enjoin- 
ed by  the  pope.     The  power  of  granting  indulgences  has  been 


ROMAN    CATHOLIC    FAITH.  263 

greatly  abused  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  Pope  Leo  X.,  in  or- 
der to  carry  on  the  magnificent  structure  of  St.  Peter's,  at 
Rome,  published  indulgences,  and  a  plenary  remission  to  all 
such  as  should  contribute  money  towards  it.  Finding  the  pro- 
ject take,  he  granted  to  Albert  elector  of  Mentz,  and  arch- 
bishop of  Magdeburg,  the  benefit  of  the  indulgences  of  Sax- 
ony, and  the  neighboring  parts,  and  farmed  out  those  of  other 
countries  to  the  highest  bidders;  who,  to  make  the  be:=t  of  the 
bargam,  procured  the  ablest  preachers  to  cry  up  the  value  of 
the  ware.  The  form  of  these  indulgences  was  as  follows:— 
"May  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  mercy  upon  thee,  and  ab- 
solve thee  by  the  merits  of  his  most  holy  passion.  And  I,  by 
his  authority,  that  of  his  blessed  apostles,  Peter  and  Paul,  and 
of  the  most  holy  pope,  granted  and  committed  to  me  in  these 
parts,  do  absolve  thee,  first  from  all  ecclesiastical  censures,  in 
whatever  manner  they  have  been  incurred;  then  from  all  thy 
sins,  transgressions,  and  excesses,  how  enormous  soever  they 
may  be :  even  from  such  as  are  reserved  for  the  cognizance  of 
the  holy  see,  and  as  far  as  the  keys  of  the  holy  church  extend. 
I  remit  to  you  all  punishment  which  you  deserve  in  purgatory 
on  their  account:  and  I  restore  you  to  the  holy  sacraments  of 
the  church,  to  the  unity  of  the  faithful,  and  to  that  innocence 
and  purity  which  you  possessed  at  baptism :  so  that  when  you 
die,  the  gates  of  punishment  shall  be  shut,  and  the  gates  of  the 
paradise  of  delight  shall  be  opened;  and  if  you  shall  not  die  at 
present,  this  gra  e  shall  remain  in  full  force  when  you  are  at 
the  point  of  death.  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost."  According  to  a  book,  called  the  Tax  of  the 
sacred  Roman  Chancery,  in  which  are  contained  the  exact 
sums  to  be  levied  for  the  pardon  of  each  particular  sin,  we  find 
some  of  the  fees  to  be  thus: 

"Robbing  a  church,  2  dollars  25  cents.  Simony,  2  dollars 
25  cents.  Perjury,  forgery,  and  lying,  2  dollars.  Robbery, 
3  dollars.  Burning  a  house,  2  dollars  75  cents.  Eating  meat 
in  Lent,  2  dollars  75  cents.  Killing  a  layman,  1  dollar  75 
cents.  Striking  a  Priest,  2  dollars  75  cents.  Procuring  abor- 
tion, 1  dollar  50  cents.  Dead  man  excommunicated,  3  dollars. 
Priest  to  keep  a  concubine,  2  dollars  25  cents..  *  *  *  * 
Ravishing  or  deflowering  a  virgin,  2  dollars.  Murder  of  fath- 
er, mother,  sister,  brother  or  wife,  2  dollars  50  cents.  Nun 
'or  frequent  fornication,  in  or  out  of  the  nunnery,  5  dollars. 
Marrying  on  a  day  forbidden,  10  dollars.  All  incest,  rapes, 
iidultery  and  fornication  committed  by  a  Priest,  with  his  rela- 
tions, nuns,  married  women  virgins  and  his  concubines,  with 


S64  A   SUmiARY   OF   THE 

the  joint  pardon  of  all  his  whores,  at  the  same  time,  10  dollars. 
Absolution  of  all  crimes  together,  12  dollars." 

"The  terms  in  which  the  retailers  of  indulgences  described 
their  benefits,  and  the  necessity  of  purchasing  them,  were  sd 
extravagant  that  they  appear  almost  incredible.  If  any  man^ 
said  they,  purchase  letters  of  indulgence,  his  soul  may  rest 
secure  with  respect  to  its  salvation.  The  souls  confined  in 
purgatory,  for  whose  redemption  indulgences  are  purchased, 
as  soon  as  the  money  tinkles  in  the  chest,  instantly  escape 
from  that  place  of  torment,  and  ascend  into  heaven.  That  the 
efficacy  of  indulgences  was  so  great,  that  the  most  heinous 
sins,  even  if  one  should  violate  (which  was  impossible)  the 
Mother  of  God,  would  be  remitted  and  expiated  by  them,  and 
the  person  be  freed  both  from  punishment  and  guilt.  That  this 
was  the  unspeakable  gift  of  God,  in  order  to  reconcile  man  to 
himself.  That  the  cross  erected  by  the  preachers  of  indul- 
gences was  equally  efficacious  with  the  cross  of  Christ  itself." 
"Lo,"  said  they,  "the  heavens  are  open:  if  you  enter  not  now, 
when  will  you  enter?  For  twelve  pence  you  may  redeem  the 
soul  of  your  father  out  of  purgatory;  and  are  you  so  ungrateful 
that  you  will  not  rescue  the  soul  of  your  parent  from  torment? 
If  you  had  but  one  coat,  you  ought  to  strip  yourself  instantly, 
and  sell  it,  in  order  to  purchase  such  benefit,"  &c. 

Since  that  time  the  popes  have  been  more  sparing  in  the 
exercise  of  this  power;  although  it  is  said,  they  still  carry  on  a 
great  trade  with  them  to  the  Indies,  where  they  are  purchased 
at  two  rials  a  piece,  and  sometimes  more.  We  are  told  also 
that  a  gentleman  not  long  since  being  at  Naples,  in  order  that 
he  might  be  fully  ascertained  respecting  indulgences,  went  to 
the  office,  and  for  two  sequins  purchased  a  plenary  remission 
of  all  sins  for  himself  and  any  two  other  persons  of  his  friends 
or  relations,  whose  names  he  was  empowered  to  insert. — 
[Haweis''s  Church  Hist.  vol.  iii.  p.  147;  Smith'^s  Errors  of  the 
Church  of  Rome;  Watson's  Theol.  Tracts,  vol.  v.  p.  274*  Mo 
sheim's  Eccl.  Hist.  vol.  i.  p.  594,  quarto.] 

Infallibility. 

The  church  of  Rome  claims  to  be  infallible.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  attribute,  she  decides  what  is,  and  what  is  not 
scripture,  and  what  the  scriptures  teach ;  she  asserts  the  right 
also,  to  prescribe  for  faith  and  practice  as  necessary  for  salva- 
tion, other  things  than  those  contained  in  the  scriptures;  and 
all  men  are  bound  implicitly,  to  submit  to  her  decision.  Ro- 
manists, however,  differ  very  much  among  themselves  abou 


ROMAN   CATHOLIC    FAITH.  265 

the  seat  of  this  tremendous  power;  some  assert  that  it  is 
in  the  Pope,  others,  that  it  is  in  a  general  Council,  and  others 
again,  in  the  Pope  and  Council  combined.  This  very  doubt 
concerning  the  place  of  its  existence,  shews  that  the  preten- 
sion itself  is  unfounded  and  ridiculous.  For  what  is  the  use 
of  infallibility,  if  none  can  with  certainty,  discover  where  it 
is,  and  by  whom  it  is  exercised  ? 

But  this  is  not  all,  the  claim  of  infallibility  is  most  blasphe- 
mous presumption.  God  alone  is  infallible, — his  word  alone 
cannot  err, — in  that  are  all  things  necessary  to  salvation,  and 
to  him  alone  ought  we  implicitly  to  submit.  The  man,  or 
church,  who  claim  to  themselves  infallibility,  usurp  the  place 
of  God,  and  exhibit  the  very  character  of  Antichrist,  "who  op- 
poseth  and  exalteth  himself"  says  the  apostle,  "above  all  that 
is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped;  so  that  he,  as  God,  sitteth 
in  the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God^  It 
were  easy  to  swell  out  this  article,  so  as  to  fill  large  volumes, 
with  the  account  of  the  gross  errors,  oppressions,  and  enormi- 
ties which  have  proceeded  from  infallible  Popes,  and  an  infal- 
lible church.  It  was  by  an  almost  universal  acknowledgment 
of  this  impious  claim  to  infallibility,  that  the  spiritual  despot- 
ism of  the  dark  ages  was  maintained.  Individuals  and  nations 
were  stript  of  almost  every  civil  and  religious  right,  and  tram- 
pled in  the  dust,  beneath  the  feet  of  the  Romish  Hierarchy. 
The  evils  at  last  became  intolerable,  men  almost  every  where 
endeavored  to  burst  the  yoke :  the  glorious  reformation  follow- 
ed, and  multitudes  ob*  Jned  the  blessings  of  freedom.  This 
liberty,  purchased  by  the  labors,  and  tears,  and  blood  of  thou- 
sands, it  is  ours  to  maintain  against  the  claims  of  infallible 
"Mother  Church." 

As  the  church  of  Rome  asserts  her  infallibility,  she  can 
never  change;  what  she  has  once  declared  to  be  truth,  must 
ever  remain  so— else  what  becomes  of  her  infallibility  ?  Such 
a  claim  then,  it  is  manifest,  makes  all  attempts  to  reform  the 
Romish  system  of  religion  utterly  hopeless.  Being  infallibly 
right  in  all  its  essential  principles,  it  never  can  be  altered. — 
There  is  no  such  thing,  therefore,  as  getting  rid  of  the  evils 
of  such  a  system,  but  by  altogether  abandoning  it.  They  who 
would  escape  her  plagues,  must,  in  the  language  of  God's 
word,  come  out  of  her. 

We  will  present  to  our  readers  but  one  specimen  of  the 
fruits  of  infallibility — but  one,  because  that  will  be  sufficient 
to  shew  the  character  of  the  tree.  By  the  third  Council  of 
Lateran,  the  obligation  to  destroy  heretics  was  imnosed  upon 

Z 


266  A  SU3IMAE1  OF  THE 

the  faithful;  and  by  the  same  council,  it  was  declared  that  all 
oaths,  which  are  against  ecclesiastical  utility,  become,  ipso 
facto,  null  and  void.  "Non  enim  dicenda  sunt  juramer  la,  sed 
potius  perjuria,  quae  contra  utilitatem  ecclesiasticam  et  sancto- 
rum patrum  veniunt  instituta."  Consequently,  John  Huss  was 
burnt,  though  he  had  received  a  safe-conduct  from  the  Empe- 
ror Sigismund.  The  church  authorities  decided  that  the  oath 
of  the  Emperor  was  "contra  ecclesiasticam  utilitatem,"  and 
therefore,  he  was  bound  to  break  it,  and  burn  to  death  the  man 
whom  he  had  sworn  to  protect. — (Faber's  Diff;  of  Romanisnru 
page  49/.) 

Here  then,  the  point  is  settled, — Roman  Catholics,  notwith. 
standing  all  oaths  to  the  contrary,  are  bound  to  destroy  all  her- 
etics, whenever  their  church  requires  it,  and  they  have  it  in 
their  power.  To  deny  the  obligation  to  do  this,  would  be  a 
denial  of  the  infallibility  of  the  Church. 

Dr.  James  Jonnson,  a  late  traveller  in  Italy,  gives  a  mosi 
melancholy  and  disgusting  view  of  its  religion  and  morality. 
After  a  short  quotation  upon  these  subjects,  we  will  close  the 
present  head  with  an  extract  from  his  book,  giving  an  account 
of  one  of  the  most  imposing  ceremonies,  in  honor  of  "  Infalli- 
hility  personified.'^'' 

"  The  fundamental  objects  of  every  religion,  I  imagine  to  be 
^ese — first,  to  foster  the  good  and  check  the  evil  propensities 
of  man's  nature  in  this  world;  and,  secondly,  to  procure  him 
immortality  and  happiness  in  the  next.  How  far  the  Catho- 
lic system  of  faith  and  worship,  as  professed  and  practised  on 
the  Classic  soil  of  Italy,  is  calculated  to  secure  the  salvation  of 
the  soul,  I  will  not  venture  to  judge,  for  the  reason  above  men- 
tioned. But  I  deem  it  not  out  of  my  province  to  form  some 
estimnte  of  its  influence  over  virtue  and  vice,  and  of  its  tend- 
dency  to  good  or  evil  actions  in  the  common  affairs  of  life. 

"I  humbly  conceive,  that  there  are  two  radical  defects  in  the 
Catholic  religion,  as  practised  in  Italy:  first,  the  facility  of  ab- 
solution, before  alluded  to;  secondly,  the  perpetual  interven 
tion  of  saints  and  angels  between  the  human  heart,  whether  in 
a  state  of  contrition  or  adoration,  and  the  throne  of  our  Crea- 
tor. I  need  not  repeat  that  I  have  already  said,  as  to  the  bale- 
ful effects  of  cheap  and  easy  remission  of  sins,  through  the  me- 
dium of  heartless  ceremonies,  if  not  virtual  bribery.  It  is  now 
pretty  well  ascertained,  that  in  proportion  as  the  duty  on  con* 
traband  articles  is  diminished,  the  consumption  will  in- 
crcuse,  so  as  that  the  revenue  loses  nothirjg  by  relaxation 
of  its  demands.    I  believe  the  same  maxim  will  hold  good  as 


ROMAN  CATHOLIC  FAITH.  267 

lo  moral  articles  of  contraband,  especially  where  no  worldly 
dishonor  attaches  to  breach  of  law.  It  is  impossible  to  view 
the  facihties  with  which  sins  are  washed  avvay  in  Italy,  (not  to 
speak  of  the  pei'mission  to  commit  them,)  without  cominfi^  to  the 
conchision  that  one  of  the  most  effectual  checks  to  vice,  which 
religion  affords,  is  thus  rendered  not  only  inefficient,  but  abso- 
lutely  conducive  to  the  evil  which  it  is  intended  to  remedy. 

Forsyth,  while  speaking  of  certain  scenes  which  took  place 
at  Naples,  during  a  memorable  epoch  still  fresh  in  the  recol- 
lections of  the  present  race,  has  the  following  passage : 

"  They  reeled  ferociously  from  parfy  to  party,  from  saint  to 
saint,  and  were  steady  to  nothing  but  mischief  and  the  church 

"  Those  Cannibals,  feasting  at  their  fires  on  human  carnage, 
would  kneel  down  and  beat  their  breasts  in  the  fervor  of  devo* 
tion,  whenever  the  sacring  bell  went  past  to  the  sick;  and  some 
of  Ruffo's  cut-throats  would  never  mount  their  horses  without 
crossing  themselves  and  muttering  a  prayer." 

The  perpetual  intercession  of  saints  and  angels,  not  to  speak 
of  priests  and  relics  of  the  dead,  in  pardoning  sins  and  saving 
souls,  must  inevitably  diminish,  if  not  destroy  that  awful  solem- 
nity which  ought  to  attend  a  direct  appeal  from  man  to  his 
Maker. 

In  respect  to  the  pompous  formalities,  the  georgeous  image- 
ry, the  superstitious  rites,  the  solemn  mockeries,  and  the  sick- 
ening delusions  of  Italian  worship,  whatever  influence  they 
may  have  on  people  immersed  in  ignorance,  and  trammeled 
by  priestcraft — they  can  have  but  one  of  two  effects  upon 
Englishmen — that  of  turning  the  Romish  religion  into  ridicule, 
in  strong  minds ;  or  that  of  overpowering  and  converting  minds 
that  are  weak  I 

The  Chapel  of  the  Quirinal  on  Sunday  mornings,  is  at  last 
filled  to  suffocation.  The  tribunes  on  either  side  are  occupied 
by  the  elegantes  of  London  and  Paris,  Petersburg  and  Vienna, 
Cracow  or  New  York.  In  the  central  nave  the  throng  is  com- 
posed of  abbots,  priors,  and  dignitaries  in  grand  costume, — the 
Mamelukes  of  the  church!  Roman  generals,  all  armed  for  the 
military  service  of  the  altar,  the  only  service  they  have  ever 
seen — monks,  guards,  friars,  Swiss  soldiers,  and  officers  of 
state !  Outside  a  cordon  drawn  round  the  choir,  are  placed  the 
foreign  gentlemen.  The  choir,  the  s  jne  of  action,  all  brilliant 
and  beautiful,  is  still  a  void.  When  the  signal  is  given,  the 
crowd  divides !  and  the  procession  begins  I  —Mutes  and  others 
form  the  avani|g-arde  of  the  pageant,  and  lead  the  way.    Tbe» 


268  A  SUBIMARY  Cf  THE 

comes,  personified  Infallibility!  feeble  as  womanhood',  help* 
less  as  infancy !  withered  by  infirmity ;  but  borne  aloft,  like 
some  idol  of  pagan  worship,  on  the  necks  of  men,  above  all  hu- 
man contact.  The  conclave  follows,  each  of  its  princes  robed 
like  an  Eastern  Sultan!  Habits  of  silk  and  brocade,  glittering 
with  gold  and  silver,  succeeded  by  robes  of  velvet,  and  vest- 
ments of  point  lace,  the  envy  of  reigning  empresses.  The  toi- 
lette of  these  Church  exquisites  is  perfect:  not  a  hair  displa- 
ced, not  a  point  neglected,  from  the  powdered  toupee  to  the 
diamond  shoe-buckle.  The  Pope  is  at  last  deposited  on  his 
golden  throne :  his  ecclesiastical  attendants  fold  round  him  his 
ample  caftain,  white  and  brilliant  as  the  nuptial  dress  of  bridal 
queens!  they  arrange  his  dazzling  mitre;  they  bloiv  his  nose, 
they  wipe  his  mouth,  and  exhibit  the  representation  of  Divinity 
in  all  the  disgusting  helplessness  of  drivelling  caducity.  His 
Holiness  being  thus  cradled  on  a  throne,  to  which  Emperors 
once  knelt,  the  Conservators  of  Rome,  the  car3'atides  of  the 
Church,  place  themselves  meekly  at  his  steps,  and  the  manikin, 
who  represents  the  Roman  senate,  precisely  in  his  look  and 
dress  resembling  Brid'oison,  in  the  "  Marriage  de  Figaro,'^ 
takes  his  humble  station  near  the  Imperial  seat,  more  gorgeous 
than  any  <he  Caesars  ever  mounted.  Meantime,  the  demigods 
of  the  conclave  repose  their  eminences  in  their  stalls,  on  velvet 
cushions,  and  their  caudatorj  (or  tail-bearers)  place  themselves 
at  their  feet.  In  the  centre,  stand  or  sit,  on  the  steps  of  the 
high  altar,  the  bishops  with  their  superb  vestments.  Then  the 
choir  raises  the  high  hosannas;  the  Pope  pontificates;  and  the 
Temple  of  Jupiter  never  witnessed  rites  so  imposing,  or  so 
splendid.  Golden  censors  fling  their  odors  on  the  air!  har- 
mony the  most  perfect,  and  movements  the  most  gracious,  do- 
light  the  ear  and  eye!  At  the  elevation  of  the  host,  a  silence 
more  oppressive  than  even  this  solemn  ^concord  of  sweet 
sounds'  succeeds;  all  fall  prostrate  to  the  earth;  and  the  mil- 
itary falling  still  lower  than  all,  lay  their  arms  of  destruction 
at  the  feet  of  that  mystery  operated  in  memory  of  the  salva- 
tion of  mankind. 

*  The  ceremony  is  at  last  concluded.  The  procession  re- 
turns as  it  entered.  The  congregation  rush  after :  and  the  next 
moment,  the  anti-room  of  this  religious  temple  resembles  the 
saloon  of  the  opera.  The  abbots  and  priors  mingle  among  the 
lay  crowd,  and  the  cardinals  chat  M'ith  pretty  women,  sport 
their  red  stockings,  and  ask  their  opinions  of  the  Pope's  Pon- 
tification,  as  a  Mervillieux  of  the  Opera  at  Paris,  takes  snuff, 
and  demands  of  his  Chere  Belle,  '  Comment  trowcx,  vous  ca 


RO:»TAN    CATHOLIC    FAITH.  260 

Comtesse?'*  Bows,  and  courtesies,  and  recognitions — *nods, 
and  becks,  and  wreathed  smiles' — fill  up  the  waiting  time  for 
carriages;  and  then  all  depart  from  the  Quirinal,  to  re-congre- 
gate at  St.  Peter's  to  hear  vespers,  give  rendezvous,  and  make 
parties  for  the  opera." 

Power  of  the  Priest  to  Forgive  Sms. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  Rome  on  this  point,  is  fully 
and  clearly  expressed  by  the  council  of  Trent,  in  its  fourteenth 
session,  chap.  6.  The  Holy  Synod  "teaches  also,  that  even 
priests,  who  are  held  in  mortal  sin,  do  exercise,  by  virtue  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  conferred  in  ordination,  as  Christ's  ministers, 
the  inunction  o^  remitting  sins ;  and  that  they  think  ill  who  con- 
tend there  is  not  this  power  in  wicked  Priests.  And  though 
the  Priest's  Absolution  is  the  dispensation  of  another's  benefit; 
nevertheless,  it  is  not  a  naked  ministry  alone,  either  of  an- 
nouncing the  gospel,  or  of  declaring  that  sins  are  forgiven; 
but  after  the  likeness  of  a  judicial  act,  in  which  by  himself, 
as  by  a  judge,  sentence  is  pronounced^ 

In  the  ninth  and  tenth  canons  of  this  Session,  those  persons 
are,  as  usual,  cursed,  who  deny  the  above  doctrine  of  priestly 
absolution,  and  that  even  wicked  priests  have  the  power  of  re- 
mitting sins. 

Impossibility  of  Salvation  out  or  the  Romish  Church. 

This  point  is  a  necessary  consequence  of  infallibility,  and 
of  those  anathemas  with  which  its  decrees  are  guarded.  If 
the  Church  of  Rome  is  infallible,  and  has  decided  that  her  doc- 
trine and  sacraments  are  necessary  to  salvation — it  follows 
that  they  who  do  not  receive  them  must  perish.  Accordingly, 
in  the  "  Summary,  &c."  above  given,  the  candidate  swears 
that  he  will  hold  to  the  last  breath  of  his  life  "  this  true  Catho- 
lic faith,"  (i.  e.  the  faith  declared  by  the  council  of  Trent) — 
"  out  of  li'hich  no  one  can  have  salvation?"^ 

Our  readers  cannot  but  have  perceived,  in  examining  the 
foregoing  extracts  from  Roman  Catholic  authorities,  that  the 
Church,  among  professors  of  this  faith,  is  the  all  in  all ; — it  is 
the  Church  that  is  to  be  believed,  and  to  be  implicitly  submit- 
ted to:  whatever  she  has  declared  is  infallibly  and  immutably 
true.  We  must  receive  the  scriptures  on  her  authority,  and 
hold  them  on  all  points  as  she  is  pleased  to  interpret  them.' — ■ 
Now  what  is  this  but  to  put  the  church  in  the  place  of  God?  and 
to  bow  down  in  idolatrous  homage  to  human  authority?  A  mul- 
titude of  important  reflections  here  crowd  upon  the  mind,  only 

z2 


270  A  SU3DIARY  OF  THE,  &:-C 

one,  however,  will  our  limits  permit  us  to  suggest.  It  is  the 
utter  hopelessness  of  all  attempts  to  reform  the  church  of  Rome 
in  any  essential  manner.  As  well,  in  the  view  of  a  conscien- 
tious Romanist,  might  we  endeavor  to  change  the  eternal 
truth  of  God.  That  which  is  infallibly  right  it  would  be  impi- 
ous to  alter,  or  even  to  indulge  the  wish  that  it  were  other- 
wise. "  The  principles  of  the  Catholic  Church,"  says  the 
Bishop  of  Aire,  "  are  irrevocable.  She  herself  is  immutably 
chained  by  bonds,  which,  at  no  future  period,  can  she  ever  rend 
asunder."*  To  reform  such  a  church,  it  is  manifest,  would  be 
to  destroy  it.  To  those  in  this  church,  therefore,  who  have 
determined  to  make  the  Word  of  God,  the  holy  scriptures,  the 
supreme  rule  of  their  faith  and  life,  a  good  conscience  must 
compel  to  "  come  out  of  her." 

♦  Faber's  Diflf.  of  Romanism,  p.  283. 


LETTERS   FROM  ROME 


The  following  Letters,  dated  at  Rome,  and  written  by  a 
Physician,  travelling  in  Italy  for  his  health,  to  a  brother  in 
this  country,  contain  many  remarkable  facts  in  reference  tc 
Romish  doctrine  and  practice. 

''Rome, ,  16—. 

''Dear  Charles, — I  am  at  length  in  Rome,  and  of  all  the  pla 
ces  that  I  have  yet  seen,  this  is  the  most  delightful.  Where  we 
have  indulged  in  high  anticipations,  you  know  it  is  not  often 
we  find  them  more  than  realized,  but  mine  were  in  this  case 

"Every  thing  which  had  particularly  excited  my  admira- 
tion in  my  travels  in  the  various  cities  through  which  I  passed, 
awaited  me  at  Rome  in  still  greater  perfection  I  had  always 
ardently  desired  to  view  the  very  place  and  scene  of  those  im- 
portant events  with  which  history  had  furnished  me  entertain 
ment  and  instruction  from  my  youngest  years.  I  had  promis- 
ed myself  great  pleasure  in  beholding  the  genuine  remains 
of  Pagan  Rome — in  visiting  the  sepulchres  of  her  sages  and 
heroes,  and  in  searching  out  the  place  where  each  had  lived, 
and  walked,  and  held  his  disputations — in  viewing  the  relics 
of  her  noble,  ancient  architecture — her  temples — her  sculp 
ture — her  genius  and  taste ;  and  though  I  expected  to  discover 
little  comparatively,  of  old  Rome,  yet  the  bare  view  of  the 
place  where  old  Rome  stood  and  her  few  noble  remains  I  fan- 
cied would  be  sufficient  to  assist  my  imagination  in  portraying 
the  rest.  As  for  her  religion.  Popery,  though  I  knew  some  of 
its  superstitions,  I  knew  comparatively  little,  and  intended  to 
lose  no  time  in  noticing  its  ridiculous  ceremonies,  but  to  devote 
myself  to  searching  out  her  antiquities.  But  my  first  impres- 
sions were  such,  that  I  soon  found  myself  regarding  the  Ro- 
mish worship  with  particular  scrutiny. 

"I  find  Popery,  as  it  is  exercised  in  Italy  so  nearly  resem- 
bling the  Paganism  of  old  Rome,  that,  while  witnessing  her 
religious  ceremonies,  I  am  continually  reminded  of  some  pas- 
sage in  a  classic  author  where  a  similar  ceremony  was  per- 
formed in  the  same  form  and  manner,  and  in  the  same  place. 
J  can  scarcely  refrain  from  fancying   mvself  a  spectator  of 

271 


272  LETTERS    FROM   ROME. 

gome  solemn  act  of  ancient  idolatry,  rather  than  witnessing  aL 
*ct  of  religious  worship  under  the  title  of  Christianity.  The 
first  time  I  entered  a  church  here,  the  smoke  and  smell  of  in- 
cense streaming  from  its  numerous  altars,  transported  me  at 
once  to  the  description  of  Paphian  Venus,  in  the  first  JEneid — 

"  Her  hundred  altars  there  with  garlands  crowni'd, 
And  richest  incense  smoking,  breathed  around; 
Sweet  odors"  Sec. 

And  when  1  saw  the  little  boy  in  surplice  in  the  church  of 
Rome,  waiting  upon  the  Priest  at  the  altar  with  the  vessel  of 
incense  and  other  sacred  utensils,  how  could  I  but  be  reminded 
of  a  heathen  sacrifice  ? 

"  Nobody  ever  goes  in  or  out  of  a  church  here  without  being 
sprinkled  with  holy  water,  by  the  priest  who  attends  for  that 
purpose,  or  else  he  serves  himself  with  it,  from  a  vessel  plac- 
ed inside  the  door  resembling  our  baptismal  fonts.  Now  this 
custom  is  strictly  derived  from  a  heathen  practice." 

"  I  was  present  at  one  solemnity  which  was  entirely  novel 
to  me.  I  never  saw  any  notice  of  any  thing  similar  to  it  in 
heathen  worship,  and  conclude  it  to  be  an  extravagance  re- 
served for  Popery  alone.  It  is  a  yearly  festival,  celebrated 
in  January,  to  which  I  allude,  called  the  'benediction  of 
horses ?  " 

"  It  was  commemorated  with  great  solemnity.  All  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city  and  neighborhood  sent  up  their  horses, 
asses,  and  other  cattle  to  the  convent  of  St.  Anthony,  where  a 
priest  in  surplice  sprinkles  all  the  animals  separately,  with  his 
brush  as  they  were  presented  to  him;  saying  in  Latin — 
*  Through  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed  Anthony  Abate, 
these  animals  are  freed  from  all  evils,  in  the  name  of  the  Fa- 
ther, of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost — Amen.'  He  receiv- 
ed in  return,  a  fee  proportioned  to  the  abilitv  of  the  owner." 

"  I  was  amazed  at  such  a  display  of  lamps  and  v»'ax-candles 
as  I  find  constantly  burning  before  the  shrines  and  images  of 
their  saints.  Many  of  these  lamps  are  of  massy  silver;  some, 
even  of  gold,  the  gifts  of  princes  and  other  distinguished  per- 
sonages. The  number  of  offerings,  too,  presented  m  conse- 
quence of  vows  made  in  time  of  danger,  and  in  gratitude  for 
deliverance,  and  cures,  hanging  up  in  the  churches,  is  so  great 
as  really  to  be  quite  offensive,  and  obstruct  the  sight  of  some- 
thing more  valuable  and  ornamental.  These  offerings  consist 
in  a  great  measure  of  arms  and  legs,  and  little  figures  of  wood 
or  wax,  and  sometimes  fine  pictures  describing  the  manner 
of  the  delivera  ice,  obtained   by  the   miraculous  interposition 


LETTERS  FROM  ROME.  273 

of  the  saint  invoked,  &c.  As  I  was  exandning  these  various 
offerings,  I  could  not  but  recollect  an  anecdote  told  by  Cicero, 
of  one,  who,  having  found  an  atheistical  friend  in  a  temple, 
said,  '  You,  who  think  the  gods  take  no  notice  of  human  affairs, 
do  you  not  see  here  by  this  number  of  pictures,  how  many 
people  for  the  sake  of  their  vows  have  been  saved  in  storms 
at  sea,  and  got  safe  into  harbor?'  'Yes,'  says  the  atheist,  '  I 
see  how  it  is;  for  those  are  never  painted,  who  happen  to  be 
drowned.'^ 

"  They  pretend  to  show  here  at  Rome,  two  original  impres- 
sions of  out  Saviour's  face  on  two  different  pocket  handker- 
chiefs— one,  it  is  said,  was  presented  by  himself  to  Agbarus, 
Prince  of  Edessa,  and  fhe  other  to  a  holy  woman,  named  Ver- 
onica, at  the  time  of  his  execution,  (the  handkerchief  she  lent 
him  to  wipe  his  face  on  that  occasion.)  One  of  these  is  pre- 
served in  St.  Sylvester's  church ;  the  second  in  St.  Peter's. 

"I  could  tell  you  many  more  of  the  absurdities  and  supersti- 
tions of  the  Romish  church,  but  time  prevents  now.  I  shall 
write  you  again  soon;  will  then  mention  more  facts,  which  I 
know  to  be  true,  and  give  you  a  faithful  description  of  what  I 
have  seen  with  my  own  eyes  in  this  Babylon,  this  city  of  abom- 
inations. 

"You  will  be  surprised  at  receiving  so  minute  a  statement 
of  things  relative  to  religious  matters,  and  so  few  on  other 
subjects,  but  I  know  Rome's  state,  in  a  moral  view,  will  possess 
more  interest  for  you,  than  aught  else  of  her  I  could  name. 

"I  must  close — 

"Yours,  my  brother  in  Christian  love  and  affection, 

"Henry  Sturtevant." 


"  Rome, 


^^My  dear  brother, — I  received  your  welcome  letter  last 
evening,  and  most  cheerfully  devote  these,  my  first  leisure 
moments  since,  to  gr  tify  the  wish  you  expressed  to  be  more 
particularly  informed  of  some  of  the  religious  ceremonies  of 
the  Romish  church.  My  curiosity  has  led  me  oftentimes  to 
be  a  witness  of  various  solemnities,  and  I  will  strive  to  detail 
the  observations  I  made,  and  the  information  I  have  gained, 
with  as  much  particularity  as  my  time  will  allow. 

"Soon  after  I  despatched  my  last  letter  to  you,  I  spent  two 
or  three  days  in  visiting  the  several  churches  and  noticing 
particularly  every  thing  connected  with  Romish  worship 


274  LETTERS    FROM   ROME. 

which  caught  my  e  ;-e.  Some  of  the  numerous  paintings  which 
adorn  the  altars  1  examined — they  were  very  beautiful;  indeed 
I  never  saw  any,  that  could  compare  with  them  for  beauty  of 
execution.  I  became  less  surprised,  as  I  gazed  at  them  with 
admiration  myself,  at  the  reverence,  solemnity  and  enthusias- 
tic admiration  with  which  they  inspired  those  who  had  receiv- 
ed from  nature  an  eye  to  observe,  and  a  heart  to  feel  keenly 
the  beauties  of  this  art — especially  when  I  considered  the  ig- 
norance and  superstition  of  Papal  worship  which  had  shrouded 
them  from  infancy,  and  led  them  to  mistake  these  natural 
sensibilities  of  a  discriminating  taste  for  true  devotion  and 
holy  love  to  the  being  whom  they  represented. 

"The  pomp  and  glory  of  the  worship  of  this  church  is  won- 
derfully calculated  to  awe  and  amuse  the  minds  of  a  supersti 
tious  people.  The  costly  paintings — the  images  of  saints,  en- 
riched with  gold  and  pearl — the  costly  habits  of  the  officiating 
priests — the  choice  vocal  and  instrumental  music — the  public 
processions  and  parades — in  short,  eveiy  thing  combines,  by 
its  magnificence,  to  win  the  attention  and  confidence  of  an  un- 
thinking people. 

"But  I  am  more  and  more  astonished  at  the  gross  frauds, 
practised  in  connection  with  supposed  relics,  and  the  credulity 
of  people  in  regard  to  them.  Among  other  relics  which  they 
pretend  to  show  here,  are  the  heads  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
encased  in  silver  busts,  set  with  jewels — a  lock  of  the  Virgin 
Mary's  hair — a  phial  of  her  tears — a,  piece  of  her  green  pet- 
ticoat— a  robe  of  Jesus  Christ,  sprinkled  u'ith  his  blood — some 
drops  of  his  blood  in  a.  bottle — and  some  of  the  ivater  which 
flowed  out  of  the  wound  in  his  side — the  nails  used  in  the  cm- 
cijlxion — and  a  piece  of  the  very  same  porphyry  pillar  on 
which  the  cock  perched  ivhcn  he  croiced  after  Peter'^s  denial  of 
Christ — the  rods  of  Moses  and  Aaron — and  tico  pieces  of  the 
wood  of  the  real  ark  of  the  covenant.  Many  of  the  churches 
are  most  abundantly  supplied  with  relics  of  a  similar  charac 
ter — there  is  one  in  Spain,  I  understand,  which  possesses  eleven 
thousand,  among  which  are  several  of  our  Saviour;  a  sacred 
hair  of  his  most  holy  head  is  preserved  in  a  vase — several 
pieces  of  his  cross — thirteen  thorns  of  his  croicn — and  apiece 
of  the  manger  in  which  he  icas  born.  There  are  many  relics 
also  of  the  Virgin  Mary — three  or  four  pieces  of  one  of  her 
garments — and  a  relic  of  the  handkerchief  icith  which  she 
wiped  her  eyes  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  Sfc.   But  enough  of  this. 

"It  would  be  a  vain  attempt,  were  I  to  undertake  to  tell  you 
ilie  number  of  saints  and  angels  who  share  in  the  devotions 


LETTERS   FROM   ROME.  275 

of  this  superstitious  people ;  indeed  they  are  countless.  And 
as  every  Pope  takes  the  liberty  of  introducing  one  or  several 
into  the  calendar  of  saints  during  his  Pontificate,  we  need  not 
wonder  at  the  mat.  who  said  on  visiting  one  of  these  Papal 
cities,  'it  was  easier  to  find  a  god,  than  a  man  in  it.' 

"But  I  am  perfectly  amazed  at  the  extravagant  honors  and 
blasphemous  adoration  paid  the  Virgin  Mary.  They  have  in 
fact  highly  exalted  her,  and  given  her  a  name  above  every 
name — I  doubt  whether  their  worship  (even  nominal)  of  the 
blessed  Saviour  exceeds  that  of  the  Virgin. 

"Churches  and  chapels  are  consecrated  to  her  service — five 
solemn  festivals  are  annually  paid  to  her  honor,  besides  one 
^ay  in  every  week  set  apart  as  especially  for  her  worship  as 
Saturday  is  for  the  Son.  There  are  also  seven  hours  in  each 
day,  called  the  seven  canonical  hours,  which  her  most  indus- 
trious worshippers  devote  to  her  service. 

"From  childhood,  the  Roman  Catholic  is  taught  to  cherish 
for  her  the  most  profound  reverence  and  the  strongest  affec- 
tion. He  addresses  his  prayers  to  her  as  being  the  'queen  of 
heaven'  and  'the  mother  of  God' — as  'being  all-powerful  to  ob- 
tain from  God  by  her  intercessions  all  she  shall  ask  of  him.' 
A  Catholic  school-book  inculcates  this  sentiment:  'Being  mo- 
ther of  God,  he  cannot  refuse  her  request;  being  our  mother, 
she  cannot  deny  our  intercession  when  we  have  recourse  to 
her— our  necessities  urge  her  —the  prayers  we  offer  her  for 
\)ur  salvation  bring  us  all  that  we  desire — never  any  person 
mvoked  the  mother  of  mercies  in  his  necessities,  who  has  not 
been  sensible  of  the  effects  of  her  assistance.  Among  the 
reasons  given  why  we  should  apply  to  the  Virgin  for  salvation 
rather  than  to  Christ,  I  have  heard  these  two  named — that 
*she  being  a  woman  is  more  tender-hearted'' — and  'being  a  reaZ 
mother  is  therefore  indulgent.'^  Such  petitions  as  these  follow- 
ing are  addressed  to  her  in  the  devotions  of  her  worshippers: 
'Succor  the  miserable,'  'help  the  faint-hearted,'  'comfort  the 
afflicted,'  'loosen  the  sinner's  bauds,'  'bring  light  unto  the 
blind,'  'our  lusts  and  passions  quell,'  'preserve  our  lives  un- 
stained,' 'guard  us,'  'deliver  us  from  all  dangers,'  'lead  us  to 
life  everlasting,'  and  innumerable  others  of  similar  import. 

"Now,  to  whom,  mv  dear  brother,  but  a  Power  possessing 
all  the  attributes  claimed  by  Divinity  itself,  should  we  think 
moital  man  would  address  such  service  i  and  yet  after  ail  this^ 
and  in  the  midst  of  all  this,  they  afnrm  that  they  worship  'the 
one  only  and  true  God,'  and  that  'Him  alone  they  serve.' 
"I  find  in  the  conclusion  of  the  Biblia  Maria3,  tlie  Bible  of 


276 


LETTERS    FROM    ROME. 


the  Virgin  Mary,  (for  you  must  know  she  has  -one  composed 
and  provided  for  her  especial  service,)  a  prayer  of  this  sort*. — 
*Oh  Queen  of  mercy,  grace  and  glory !  Empress  of  all  the 
creatures,  blot  out  all  my  transgressions,  and  lead  me  to  life 
ever'astmg!' 

"I  have  been  told,  that,  in  a  procession  made  here  a  few 
years  ago,  the  following  inscription  was  placed  over  the  gate 
of  one  of  the  principal  churches: 

"  'The  Gate  of  celestial  benefit.  The  Gate  of  salvation. 
Look  up  to  the  Virgin  herself.  Whosoever  shall  find  me  will 
find  life,  and  draw  salvation  from  the  Lord.  For  there  is  no 
one  who  can  be  delivered  from  evils  but  through  thee — there 
is  no  one  from  whom  we  can  obtain  mercy  but  through  thee.' 

"I  will  just  add  a  part  of  the  litany  of 'Lady  of  Loretto,'  to 
show  you  the  extent  of  their  extravagant  and  blasphemous 
adoration : 


"'Holy  Mary. 
Holy  Mother  of  God. 
Holy  Virgin  of  Virgins. 
Mother  of  Christ. 
Mother  of  divine  grace. 
Mother  most  pure. 
Mother  most  chaste. 
Mother  undefiled. 
Mother  untouched. 
Mother  most  amiable. 
Mother  most  admirable. 
Mother  of  our  Creator. 
Mother  of  our  Redeemer. 
Virgin  most  prudent. 
Virgin  most  venerable. 
Virgin  most  renowned. 
Virgin  most  powerful. 
Virgin  most  merciful. 
Virgin  most  faithful. 
Mirror  of  justice. 
Seat  of  Wisdom. 
Cause  of  our  joy. 


'  Spiritual  vessel. 

Vessel  of  honor. 

Vessel  of  singular  devotion 

Mystical  rose. 

Tower  of  David. 

Tower  of  Ivory. 

House  of  Gold. 

Ark  of  the  covenant. 

Gate  of  Heaven. 

Morning  Star. 

Health  of  the  weak. 

Refuge  of  sinners. 

Comfort  of  the  afflicted. 

Help  of  Christians. 

Queen  of  angels. 

Queen  of  Patriarchs. 

Queen  of  prophets. 

Queen  of  apostles. 

Queen  of  martyrs. 

Queen  of  confessors. 

Queen  of  virgins. 
^  Queen  of  all  saints.' 


"She  wears  a  golden  crown,  set  with  precious  stones  of  in- 
estimable value — her  fingers  glisten  with  rings,  and  her  neck 
is  tastefully  adorned  with  several  chains  of  gold,  to  which 
medals  and  hearts  of  gold  are  appended,  presents  from  devout 
Catholic  princes.  She  has  changes  >f  clothce  for  all  work-di^/s, 


LETTERS    FKOM    ROME.  277 

holidays  and  Sundays,  of  all  colors,  and  even  a  suit  of  mourn- 
ing  for  passion-u'cek ! ! 

"1  have  not  time  to  say  more  of  the  idolatrous  worship  paid 
the  Virgin  Mary—  yet  I  have  given  you  scarce  an  idea  of  its 
extent;  were  I  to  tell  you  half  the  extravagancies  I  have  seen 
and  heard,  you  would  believe  I  had  made  shipwreck  of  the 
credit  for  truth  which  I  used  to  have,  and  would  be  incredulous 
of  all  I  have  yet  to  say  on  other  points — but  this  much  I  m  jst 
affirm:  the  half  has  not  been  told. 

"I  must  describe  to  you,  my  dear  brother,  some  of  the  fa- 
mous miracles  performed  by  the  saints,  images,  relics,  &c. 
They  are  really  iconderful.  No  saint,  it  seems,  can  be  admit- 
ted into  the  calendar,  whatever  may  have  been  the  sanctity  of 
his  life,  unless  it  can  be  testified  that  he  has  wrought  miracles. 

"The  tales  of  visions,  apparitions,  and  miracles  which  are 
kept  in  circulation,  and  which  are,  in  fact,  necessary  to  uphold 
such  a  system  of  spiritual  tyranny  as  the  Popish  religion  is, 
among  a  superstitious  and  ignorant  people  are  so  absurd  and 
monstrous,  it  would  seem  scarcely  possible  they  should  gain 
any  credence  at  all. 

"In  several  parts  of  Italy  are  shown  the  marks  of  hands  and 
feet  on  rocks  and  stones,  miraculously  effected  by  the  appari- 
tions of  some  of  their  saints.  Several  images  have  been  point- 
ed out  to  me  since  I  have  been  in  Rome,  which  on  certain  oc- 
casions have  spoken — icept — sweat  and  bled.  One  of  the  ima- 
ges of  our  Saviour,  it  was  seriously  averred,  wept  so  profusely 
before  the  sacking  of  Rome,  as  to  employ  all  the  good  fathers 
in  the  monastery  in  wiping  its  face. 

"What  is  most  wonderful  of  this  picture  is,  that  the  Virgin 
Mary  herself,  attended  by  Mary  Magdalen  and  St.  Catherine, 
condescended  to  come  down  from  heaven  three  or  four  centu- 
ries ago,  to  bring  and  introduce  it  to  the  special  notice  of  pa- 
pists. We  must  infer,  diS  the  picture  itself  came  down  from 
heaven,  that  it  is  imposed  on  the  people  as  the  workmanship 
either  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  some  of  the  angels  or  saints,  or  of 
God  himself!!  How  shocking — outrageous! 

"Of  Thomas  a  Becket,  perhaps  as  many  miracles  are  re- 
corded as  of  any  saint.  It  is  said,  'he  outdid  Christ  himself  in 
this  particular.'  Two  volumes  of  them  were  preserved  in 
Canterbury,  where  his  shrine  flourished,  and  a  book  has  bcvin 
published  in  France,  containing  an  account  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy.  It  is  remarkable  that  he  works  no  miracles  in  Eng- 
land where  his  bones  are  deposited,  but  works  abundantly  in 
other  countries. 

A2 


278  LETTERS    FKOM   ROME. 

"St.  Francis  Xavier  turned  a  sufficient  quantity  of  salt  water 
into  fresh  to  save  the  lives  of  five  hundred  travellers,  who 
were  dying  of  thirst,  enough  being  left  to  allow  a  large  expor- 
tation to  diife)  ent  parts  of  the  world,  where  it  performed  aston- 
ishing cures.  St.  Raymond  de  Pennafort  laid  his  cloak  on  tlxe 
sea,  and  sailed  thereon  from  Majorca  to  Barcelona,  a  distan<.-e 
of  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  in  six  hours. 

"At  Mantua,  I  am  told,  there  may  be  seen  a  bottle  of  the 
real  blood  of  Christ.  It  was  dug  up  a  number  of  years  since 
in  a  box  containing  a  paper  with  an  account  of  the  circum- 
stances of  its  deposit.  It  seems  one  Longinus,  a  Roman  cen- 
turion, who  was  present  at  the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  became 
converted  and  afterwards  left  Judea  for  Mantua,  carrying  with 
him  this  phial  of  blood ;  he  buried  the  sacred  relic,  and  was  so 
thoughtful  as  to  enclose  it  in  an  envelope,  stating  all  these 
facts.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  writing,  the  box,  the  bot- 
tle, the  blood  and  all  should  be  perfectly  fresh  as  it  was  when 
found,  after  lying  in  the  ground  sixteen  centuries  11! 

"A  certain  friar  had  preached  a  sermon  during  lent,  upon 
the  state  of  the  man  mentioned  in  Scripture  possessed  with 
seven  devils,  with  so  much  eloquence  and  unction,  that  a  sim- 
ple countr3anan  who  heard  him,  went  home,  and  became  con- 
vinced that  these  seven  devils  had  got  possession  of  him.  The 
idea  haunted  his  mind,  and  subjected  him  to  the  most  dreadful 
terrors,  till,  unable  to  bear  his  suffering,  he  unbosomed  him- 
self to  his  ghostly  father  and  asked  his  counsel.  The  father, 
who  had  some  smattering  of  science,  bethought  himself  at  last 
of  a  way  to  rid  the  honest  man  of  his  devils.  He  told  him  it 
would  be  necessary  to  combat  with  the  devils  singly;  and  on 
the  day  appointed,  when  the  poor  man  came  with  a  sum  of 
money  to  serve  as  a  bait  for  the  devil — without  which,  the  good 
father  had  forewarned  him  no  devil  could  be  dislodged — he 
bound  a  chain,  connected  with  an  electrical  machine  in  an 
adjoining  chamber,  round  his  body,  lest,  as  he  said,  the  devil 
should  fly  away  with  him — and  having  warned  him  that  the 
shock  would  be  terrible  vvhen  the  devil  went  out  of  him,  he 
left  him  praying  devoutly  before  an  imi^e  of  the  Madonna^ 
and  after  some  time  gave  him  a  pretty  smart  shock,  at  which 
the  poor  wretch  fell  insensible  on  the  floor  from  terror.  As 
soon,  however,  as  he  recovered,  he  protested  that  he  had  seen 
the  devil  fly  away  out  of  his  moulh,  breathing  blue  flames  and 
sulphur,  and  that  he  felt  himself  greatly  relieved.  Seven  elec- 
trical shocks,  at  due  intervals,  having  exti'acted  seven  sums 


LETTERS    FROM   ROME.  27^ 

cf  money  from  him,  together  with  the  seven  d.vih,  the  man 
was  cured,  and  a  great  miracle  performed  I" 


Rome,  Monday  eve, . 

"You  will  see  from  the  above  date,  my  dear  brother,  that 
this  letter  has  lain  untouched  several  days.  I  have  been  so 
completely  engaged  in  the  continued  round  of  ceremonies, 
which  engross  the  hearts  and  time  of  this  people  during  the 
*holy  week'  as  to  leave  me  no  leisure  to  finish  the  accounis  J 
had  already  begun.  Rome  is  filled  with  pilgrims,  and  all  the 
churches  with  worshippers — devout  ones — save  here  and  there 
a  heretic,  whose  curiosity,  like  mine,  has  led  him  to  mingle 
with  the  crowd,  and  follow  the  footsteps  of  the  multitude 
through  the  endless  absurdities,  which  tread  hard  oh  the  heels 
of  each  other. 

"Processions  of  penitents  are  seen  silently  wending  their 
way  along  the  streets,  clothed  in  long  dark  robes,  preceded  by 
a  black  cross,  and  bearing  in  their  hands  skulls,  and  bones,  and 
contribution-boxes  for  souls  in  purgatory. 

"A  most  superb  procession  took  place  on  the  morning  cf  the 
festa  of  the  annunciation,  which  I,  with  thousands  of  others, 
ran  to  see. 

"The  Pope,  riding  on  a  white  mule,  (I  suppose  to  imitate 
our  Saviour's  entry  at  Jerusalem,)  came  attended  by  his  horse- 
guards  who  rode  before  to  clear  the  way,  mounted  on  prancing 
black  horses  and  accompanied  by  such  a  flourish  of  trumpets 
and  kettle-drums  as  to  wear  far  more  of  the  appearance  of  a 
martial  parade  than  of  a  religious  proceeding.  All  were 
dressed  in  splendid  full  uniform,  and  in  every  cap  waved  a 
myrtle  sprig,  the  sign  of  rejoicing.  The  cardinals  followed; 
and  the  rear  was  brought  up  by  a  bare-headed  priest  on  a  mule, 
with  the  host  in  a  golden  cup,  the  sight  of  which  operated  like 
a  talism^an  on  every  soul  around  me,  (for  every  knee  bent,) 
save  here  and  there  one,  who  like  myself  stood  heretically 
amid  the  kneeling  mass,  looking  about  panic-struck  at  this  ma- 
gic-like movement. 

"The  Pope  himself  was  clothed  in  robes  of  white  and  silvei , 
and  as  ha  passed  along  the  crowds  of  gazing  people  that  lined 
the  streets  and  filled  the  Vvindows,  he  forgot  not  incessantly  to 
repeat  his  benediction — a  twirl  of  three  fingers,  typical  of  the 
Father,  Son,  und  Holy  Ghost, — the  little  finger  representing 
the  latter. 


280  LETTERS    FROM    ROME. 

"Many  flresome  ceremonies  followed  his  entry  into  the 
church.  He  was  seated  on  his  throne ;  all  the  cardinals  suc- 
cessively approached — kissed  his  hand — retired  a  step  or  two 
— gave  tnree  low  nods — one  to  him  in  front,  as  personifying 
God,  the  Father,  one  to  the  right,  intended  for  the  Son;  and 
one  to  the  left  for  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"I  am  sure,  my  dear  brother,  as  this  ceremony  passed,  the 
blood  curdled  in  my  veins — I  was  transfixed  to  the  spot.  I  saw 
not  what  passed  without  me,  but  this  text  of  holy  writ  stood 
like  letters  of  fire,  glaring  upon  me  from  within : — 

"  'Who,  as  God,  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  sJiowing  him- 
self that  he  is  God.'* 

"When  the  first  shock  of  this  blasphemy  had  passed  away, 
the  inferior  priests  were  bowing,  each  in  their  turn,  and  in 
adoring  attitude  kissing  the  toe,  as  it  is  called,  which  is  in  fact, 
the  embroidered  cross  on  the  shoe  of  this  lord  of  lords.  High 
mass  then  began ;  during  the  elevation  of  the  host,  the  Pope 
knelt  before  the  high  altar  and  in  silence  prayed — then  follow- 
ed an  infinitude  of  gettings  up  and  sittings  down— of  sayings 
and  dead  pauses,  which  I  am  sure  those  around  me  did  not 
half  comprehend;  and  of  which  I  could — nothing. 

"A  lighted  taper  was  then  brought,  (though  it  was  broad 
daylight,)  and  held  for  the  Pope,  while  he  read  something,  I 
know  not  what,  from  a  great  volume  before  him,  and  after  sev- 
eral other  ceremonies,  as  comprehensible  and  edifying  as  those 
1  have  named,  he  rose  and  retired,  twirling  his  benediction  all 
the  way  out,  as  he  twirled  it  all  the  ^vay  in.  After  this  I  had 
little  running  to  do,  till  palm  Sunday  came.  You  know  I 
am  far-famed  as  a  punctual  man — and  a  full  hour  I  had  been 
seated  in  the  gaze  of  expectation,  waiting  the  Pope's  appear- 
ance in  the  chapel,  when  he  came.  He  was  clothed  this  time 
in  scarlet  and  gold,  and  a  most  sumptuous  figure  he  made. 
The  Cardinals  were  dressed  in  their  mourning  robes,  of  a  vio- 
let color,  richly  trimmed  with  antique  lace,  with  mantles  of 
ermine  and  scarlet  trains — bu.t  these  were  soon  changed  for 
garments  of  gold.  The  same  round  of  ceremonies  toward  the 
Pope  was  performed  as  I  related  on  the  festa  of  the  annuncia- 
tion. Two  palm  branches  received  the  Pope's  benediction, 
after  having  passed  through  a  cloud  of  incense.  Smaller  ones, 
artificial,  composed  of  plaited  straw  or  dried  reed  leaves,  to 
which  crosses  were  appended,  were  presented  to  each  cardi- 
nal, archbishop,  and  to  all  the  inferior  orders  of  the  clergy,  to 
deacons,  canons,  choristers,  cardinals'  trainbearers,  &-c.  aj 
fhcy  individually  descended  the  steps  of  the  throne  aftej  per- 


LETTERS  FROM  ROME.  281 

'Arming  th«  ceremonious  routine  I  have  mentioned  before. 
The  procession  then  began  to  move  off,  two  and  two,  begin- 
ning with  the  lowest  clerical  rank,  and  at  last  the  Pope 
himself  In  his  chair  of  state,  under  a  crimson  canopy  and  oorne 
on  the  shoulders  of  four  men.  Great  pomp  and  splendor  mark- 
ed this  parade.  The  crowns  and  mitres  of  the  bishops  and 
patriarchs,  white  and  crimson,  glittering  with  jewel*,  and  set 
with  precious  stones — their  long,  rich  dresses — the  slow  and 
uniform  march  of  the  procession,  and  the  gay  crowds  surround- 
ing, presented  quite  an  imposing  appearance.  The  procession 
issued  forth  into  the  hall  in  the  rear  of  the  chapel,  and  march- 
ing round  it,  entered  again  and  seated  themselves  as  before. 
A  multitude  of  tedious  services  then  followed — with  frequent 
kneelings — the  tinkling  of  bells,  dressings,  undressings,  &c.; 
then  the  cardinals  all  embraced  each  other,  gave  the  kiss  of 
peace,  and  the  scene  closed.  * 

"  The  next  service  I  attended  was  three  days  after  on  Wed- 
nesday, in  the  same  chapel  at  half  past  four,  P.  M.  The  house 
was  filled  to  overflowing.  I  had  a  conspicuous  place,  and 
could  distinctly  see  all  that  passed,  and  amused  myself  through 
a  long  and  tedious  chant  with  my  own  reflections  on  the  vari- 
ed  scenes  before  me.  My  attention  was  then  arrested  by  a 
row  oil  mourning  candles,  fifteen  in  number,  all  lighted,  though 
still  broad  day;  the  central  one  overtopped  the  others,  they 
retreating  in  size  each  way.  I  learned  the  tall  mourning 
candle  was  the  Virgin  Mary;  the  nearest  each  side,  like  maids 
of  honor,  were  the  *wo  Marys,  and  all  the  rest  apostles.  As 
the  services  proceeded,  the  candles,  one  by  one,  were  extin- 
guished, a  typical  representation  of  the  falling  off  of  the  apos- 
tles in  the  hour  of  trial.  The  Virgin  was  at  last  left  alone  in 
the  midst,  and  she  at  length  was  set  under  the  altar.  As  it 
grew  dark,  only  light  enough  was  allowed  to  make  the  dark- 
ness visible — to  give  a  sombre,  chilling  melancholy  to  the  whole 
aspect  of  things.  Strains  of  music  then  commenced  of  such 
unearthly  pathos  as  never  before  fell  on  my  ear.  I  will  not 
attempt  to  describe  it;  for  a  time  I  seemed  to  forget  where  or 
what  I  was,  so  deeply  was  every  faculty  of  my  soul  absorbed 
in  the  plaintive,  heart-stirring  swellings  that  rose,  and  tnen 
melted  away  among  the  suppressed  breathings  of  awe-stricken 
listeners.  The  lady  who  sat  next  me  heard  till  nature  fainted 
— and  many  on  my  right  and  left  listened  till  too  deeply  agita* 
ted  to  suppress  the  keenness  of  their  emotion. 

^^Holy  Tliursday,  the  succeeding  day,  was  the  interment  of 
Christ;  nearly  the  same  ceremonies  were  performed  aa  I  have 

2a2 


282  LETTERS  FROM  ROME. 

already  related,  with  the  addition  of  the  deposit  of  the  host  by 
the  Pope  in  the  sepulchre  beneath  the  altar  at  the  close  of  the 
procession. 

"Then  came  the  washing  of  feet,  in  imitation  of  our  Saviour'? 
washing  the  disciples'  feet.  This  was  performed  by  the  Pope 
himself,  officiating  in  a  long  white  linen  robe,  and  wearing  a 
bishop's  mitre. 

"A  silver  bucket  of  water  was  presented  to  him  by  an  at 
tending  Cardinal.  The  Pope  knelt  before  the  first  of  the  pil 
grim-priests,  immersed  one  foot  in  water,  then  touched  it  with 
a  fringed  towel — kissed  the  leg,  and  gave  the  cloth  and  a  sort 
of  white  flower  or  feather  to  the  man — then  went  on  to  the 
next.  The  whole  ceremony  occupied  but  a  few  moments; 
the  Pope  then  returned  to  the  throne,  changed  his  dress  for  the 
robes  of  white  and  silver,  and  proceeded  to  the  next  service. 
The  twelve  priests  seated  themselves  at  a  table,  loaded  with 
various  dishes  and  flowers;  and  the  Pope,  after  pronouncing  a 
blessing,  handed  to  each  from  a  side-table,  bread,  plates,  and 
cups  of  wine,  which  each  rose  to  receive  from  his  highness' 
hand;  a  few  forms  having  passed,  he  gave  a  parting  benedic- 
tion and  withdrew." 

"The  next  day  was  Good  Friday ;  went  early  in  the  morning 
to  the  chapel  to  witness  the  'adoration  of  the  cross' — a  long, 
tedious  service  of  mass,  chantings,  kneelings,  and  prayings  to 
the  cross,  from  which  the  mourning-cloth  had  been  removed. 
Then  came  the  service  of  the  'three  hours'  agony'  of  Christ 
upon  the  cross,  which  I  viewed  with  feelings  so  indescribably 
horror-struck,  that  I  shall  attempt  no  minute  description  of  the 
ceremonies.  I  still  shudder,  as  a  confused  remembrance  of 
the  representation  of  Mount  Calvary,  with  its  trees,  rocks, 
and  thickets,  passes  before  me  in  review — the  dying,  agonized 
contortions  of  the  muscles  in  the  face  of  Him,  who  redeemed 
us,  so  strikingly  and  horribly  depicted,  that  the  cold  chills 
came  over  me — the  nails,  with  the  spear  and  the  crosses — the 
two  dying  thieves — the  centurions,  the  horses,  and  the  glitter- 
ing swords — but  my  head  swims  at  the  recollection  of  the  un- 
hallowed sight  of  scenes,  too  sacred  ever  to  attempt  portray- 
ing. The  whole  scene,  which  is  a  complete  drama,  is  divid- 
ed into  seven  acts,  composed  each  one  of  the  seven  payings* 

*  The  seven  sayings  are  these — 
.  ''Father,  forgive  them,  for  tliey  know  not  what  they  do." 

2.  "To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

3.  "Woman,  behold  thy  Son.     Sop,  behold  thy  mother." 

4.  "JVIy  God,  my  God,  why  hast  tt'  lu.  abandoned  nie." 


LETTEBS  FROM  ROME.  283 

i^f  Christ  on  the  cross;  a  tirade  of  the  priest,  consisting  of 
apostrophes,  ejaculations,  and  exhortations,  calcuUited  to  excite 
Ihe  natural  feelings  of  the  auditors,  by  the  help  of  surround- 
ing scenes  even  to  nature's  highest  pitch;  and  when  the  scene 
was  perfect — when  the  whole  multitude  sank,  exhausted  with 
feeling  an']  drowned  with  tears — when  the  whole  church 
seemed  to  breathe  in  one  loud  burst  of  agony,  as  tlie  melting 
sounds  of  infinite  love  faintly  uttered, '  It  is  jlnished,'* — a  band 
of  friars,  clothed  in  black,  came  noiselessly  issuing  from  be- 
hind; they  toiled  up  the  steep,  winding,  and  bushy  ascent  of 
the  mountain,  emerging  now  from  the  thicket,  and  then  from 
the  shade  of  a  rock,  to  remove  the  body  of  Him,  whose  last 
Hfe-drop  was  spilt  for  us.  The  nails  were  loosened,  and  the 
body  removed  and  laid  on  a  bier,  amid  the  shrieks  and  agoniz- 
ing groans  of  the  people,  who  hastened,  one  by  one,  to  paj^  it 
the  last  tribute  of  a  kiss,  before  it  was  borne  away.  I  staid  till 
I  could  stay  no  longer,  and  retired  amid  the  prayers,  and  sighs, 
and  tears  that  found  vent  from  almost  every  soul  but  mine, 
with  a  grieved  and  melted  heart,  and  a  conscience  deeply 
reproaching  me  for  witnessing  a  mock-scene  like  this. 

"But  I  have  spun  this  letter  to  quite  an  immoderate  length 
I  must  close,  but  you  shall  hear  from  me  again  in  a  few  days. 
"Your  affectionate  brother, 

"Henry  S ." 


"BoTwe, 


"3/3/  Dear  Brother, — I  am  still  busied  in  attendance  on  R  j- 
man  Catholic  ceremonies.  Curiosity  led  me,  a  short  time 
since,  to  witness  the  holy  rite  of  Baptism,  performed  on  a 
young  lady  in  the  family  of  Mr.  R.  with  whom  I  am  on  terms 
of  considerable  intimacy.  The  ordinance  of  baptism,  as  ad- 
ministered in  a  Romish  Church,  is  so  encumbered  with  cere- 
monies, that  it  can  be  scarcely  recognized  as  the  simple  seal 
of  the  gospel-covenant.  There  are  the  forms  observed  before 
coming  to  the  font — those  at  the  font — and  those  which  follow 
the  administration  of  the  ordinance.  A  long  series  of  cate* 
chetical  instruction  precedes  the  rite  itself,  succeeded  by  ex* 


5.  "I  thirst." 

6.  "It  is  finished." 

7.  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 


284  LETTERS  FROM  ROME. 

orcism — which  is  using  '  words  of  sacred  and  religious  import, 
and  of  prayers,  to  expel  the  devil,  and  to  weaken  and  crush 
his  power."  Salt  is  put  into  the  mouth — the  sign  of  the  cross  is 
made  with  the  holy  oil  upon  the  forehead,  eyes,  ears,  hreast  and 
shoulders — the  nostrils  and  ears  are  touched  with  spittle — the 
crown  oftheheadis  anointed  with  chrism,  after  the  performance 
of  the  baptismal  ceremony — a  white  garment  is  given,  and  a 
wax  taper,  burning,  is  put  into  the  hand.  All  these  various  rites 
are  typical  of  the  several  eftects  which  the  sacred  ordinance 
is  said  to  confer;  viz:  'To  remit  original  sin  and  actual  guilt, 
however  enormous — to  remit  all  the  punishment  due  to  sin — to 
bestow  invaluable  privileges,  such  as  justification  and  adoption 
— to  produce  abundance  of  virtues — to  unite  the  soul  to  Christ 
— and  to  open  the  portals  of  heaven.' 

"Such  are  the  unwarranted,  efficacious  virtues  which  the 
Romish  church  have  ventured  to  ascribe  to  this  simple  ordi- 
nance, which  the  Bible  recognizes  only  as  the  visible  sign  of 
an  inward  union,  and  which  of  itself  and  in  itself  confers  no 
grace. 

"Now,  see  the  young  lady,  of  whom  I  have  been  speaking, 
pass  through  the  ceremony  of  taking  the  veil  I!  Miss  Celia  R. 
is  a  beautiful  girl  of  17 — only  daughter  of  the  brother  of  Mr. 
R.,  who  deceased  about  a  year  since,  consigning  this,  his  dear- 
est earthly  treasure,  to  his  brother's  care.  Mr.  R.  is  a  native 
Italian,  and  stanch  in  his  Roman  belief — though  his  lady,  I 
suspect,  submits  with  great  repugnance  to  an  observance  of 
the  indispensable  mummeries  of  her  husband's  faith.  Miss  R. 
came  to  Italy,  overwhelmed  with  the  sense  of  melancholy  and 
loneliness,  which  her  father's  death  and  her  present  state  of 
orphanage,  (though  independent  in  point  of  fortune,)  has  occa- 
sioned; her  sadness  was  not  at  all  lessened  by  the  change  of 
customs,  of  scenes  and  companions,  which  her  removal  from 
the  land  of  her  nativity  and  the  associations  of  early  youth 
has  produced.  She  has  yielded  a  listening  ear  to  the  counsels 
and  persuasions  of  the  friends  she  has  acquired  since  her  arri- 
val, and  with  a  firm  faith  in  the  represented  advantages  and 
pleasures  of  the  life  of  a  nun,  she  has  this  morning  taken  upon 
herself  all  the  solemn,  unwarranted,  and  irrevocable  vows 
of  monastic  life ! 

<'  Poor  girl  I  in  the  depth  of  her  present  sorrow,  the  world 
seems  dark  and  cheerless :  she  knows  not  that  youth,  in  its 
elasticity,  hends  only  beneath  the  weight  of  sorrow,  to  rise  again 
when  the  fury  of  the  storm  is  past,  and  look  out  upon  the  charms 
of  social  life,  with  all  its  wonted  freshness  and  delight.     Her  vi- 


v-i/^N^^ 


^-^ 


Pope  washinor  tho  feet  of  Pilgrim  Priests. 


LETTERS  FROM  ROME  285 

glons  of  futurity  are  now  clothed  in  the  sombre  &}iadows  which 
her  spirit  wears;  she  dreams  not  that  the  bright  sun  of  youth 
and  hope,  though  enveloped  now,  will  soon  emerge  cloudless^, 
and  free,  and  brilliant  as  it  was  before.  She  thinks  her  sa(>- 
ness  is  religion  j  her  voluntary  ^enunciation  of  all  earth  offers, 
an  offering  acceptable  in  the  eyes  of  Him,  who  disdains  every 
sacrifice  but  that  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart  for  sin;  and 
she  seeks  the  comfort  which  is  found  only  in  repentance  and 
faith  in  the  merits  of  her  Saviour,  in  the  cold,  dull,  monotonous 
round  of  duties  she  herself  imposes,  and  the  costly  sacrifice  of 
what  her  heavenly  father  never  required  her  to  forego. 

"But  enough  of  this — though  I  am  in  quite  a  moralizing 
mood,  and  heartily  sick  of  cold  externals,  warmed  by  no  life- 
throb— of  a  religion  all  body  and  no  soul. 

"It  was  a  most  delightful  morning — one  of  Italy's  brightest 
days — and  one  who  has  never  roamed  abroad  amid  all  the 
beauties  of  Italic  scenery,  and  the  soothing  mildness  and  fra- 
grance of  her  atmosphere,  can  scarcely  conceive  how  delight- 
ful her  bright  days  are;  and  I  thought,  as  I  bent  my  steps  at 
an  early  hour  to  the  chapel  in  the  convent  of  St.  Sylvestro, 
that  when  the  young  lady  came  to  look  for  the  last  time  upon 
the  beauties  and  pleasures  she  was  about  to  renounce,  for  the 
cold,  cheerless  imprisonment  of  this  living  tomb,  her  heart 
must  misgive  her,  and  her  soul  recoil  from  the  rash,  fatal  vow 
and  I  hoped  it  would  be  so;  for  I  knew  she  had  volun- 
tarily, unadvised  by  her  uncle  or  aunt,  and  strongly  opposed  by 
the  latter,  formed  this  inconsiderate  resolution,  and  chosen  this 
living  death.  But  she  came  at  last,  and  two  footmen,  in  splen- 
did liveries,  made  way  for  her  entrance.  She  was  in  full 
dress,  sparkling  in  brilliants,  her  dark  hair  blazing  in  dia- 
monds, her  cheeks  unblanched — rather  deepened  by  the  ex- 
citement of  the  moment,  and  I  think  I  never  saw  her  more 
beautiful.  She  pressed  forward  amid  the  gazing  crowd  with  a 
firm,  though  gentle  step,  M'hile  the  fixed  purpose  of  her  soul 
beamed  full  in  her  eye ;  the  path-way  and  altar  were  strewed 
with  flowers — the  public  applauding — strangers  admiring — 
cardinals  blessing — priests  flattering — friends  weepmg — nuns 
chanting — and  /,  inwardly  execrating  a  practice  unauthorized 
by  the  Bible,  uncommanded  by  Jehovah,  yet  encouraged  and 
insisted  upon  by  those,  who  unworthily  call  themselves  the 
messengers  of  the  will  of  the  Highest. 

"The  ceremonies  commenced.  You  can  scarcely  imagine 
the  indignation  that  by  this  time  boiled  within  me,  as  I  listen- 
ed to  the  discourse  pronounced  from  the  pulpit  by  an  old,  fat 


286  LETTERS  FROM  RO^IE. 

Dominican  monk,  who  poured  forth  such  a  volume  of  rhapsody 
— with  not  a  particle  of  sober  reason  or  religion  in  it;  or  any 
thmg,  except  what  was  calculated  to  inflame  an  inexperif  aced 
imagination ;  calling  her  '  the  affianced  spouse  of  Ch  ist,'  a 
saint  on  earth,' '  one  who  had  renounced  the  vanities  of  the 
world  for  a  foretaste  of  the  joys  of  heaven,'  &lc. — such  as  you, 
my  brother,  with  all  yourjlre,  would  not  have  staid  to  hear. 

"The  sermon  closed,  and  at  the  altar  the  beautiful  victim 
knelt — and  on  it  laid  her  youth  and  beauty,  wealth — the  plea- 
sures and  refinements  of  life,  the  delights  of  friendship,  the 
charms  of  nature  and  of  freedom — every  thing — all  that  na- 
ture has  to  give,  she  gave;  she  sacrificed  them  all  on  the 
shrine  before  her,  and  pronounced  those  vows  which  severed 
her  from  them  forever. 

"As  the  chant  of  her  fatal  vow  died  away  in  melting  recita- 
tive, every  eye  was  moistened,  as  far  as  my  vision  reached, 
save  hers  for  whom  they  wept. 

"Her  diamonds  were  then  removed;  and  her  long  dark 
tresses,  in  all  their  native  polish  and  beauty,  fell  clustering 
about  her  shoulders — one  lock  of  it  was  monopolized  by  the 
cardinal — then  the  grate  opened,  the  choral  voices  of  the  black 
sisterhood  chanted  a  strain  of  welcome,  as  she  retired  from 
the  benediction  of  the  cardinal  and  the  embraces  of  her  friends, 
within  her  future  tomb.  She  renounced  her  name  and  adopt- 
ed a  new  one — her  beautiful  garments  were  removed,  and  the 
plain,  coarse  dress  of  the  Franciscan  order  was  assumed ;  her 
ornaments  were  laid  away  forever,  and  nature's  beautiful  cov- 
ering, that  richly  polished  hair,  was  severed  by  the  sisters' 
fatal  shears. 

"  The  white  veil  was  thrown  ou;  (which  is  a  very  differ- 
ent thing  from  what  I  had  supposed,  being  simply  'a  piece 
of  white  linen,  fixed  on  the  top  or  back  part  of  the  head,  and 
falling  down  behind  or  on  each  sidf),  as  on  a  veiled  statue.') 
Attired  in  the  sober  dress  of  a  noviciate  nun,  the  beautiful 
Celia  R.  appeared  to  view  agani  behind  the  open  grate — not 
otherwise,  for  she  and  the  world,  (save  seen  through  the  bars 
of  her  life-prison)  were  now  parted  forever.  We  all  agreed 
the  simple  dress  of  the  new  nun  had  not  at  all  abated  from  her 
beauty,  for  her  bright  eyes,  and  the  lovely  expression  of  her 
fair  countenance  had  not  departed  with  her  brilliant  attire.  1 
thought  her,  indeed,  even  prettier  than  before. 

"She  appeared  calm  and  firm  until  the  last,  when  nature 
would  have  its  gush,  and  while  receiving  the  praises,  congrat- 
ula  tions  and  sympathy  of  friends  and   acquintance,  in  spite 


LETTERS  FROM  ROME.  287 

of  her,  her  tears^ell  fast  andfiee.  We  left  her — the  heroine 
of  an  hour. — But  oh!  how  often  in  the  long,  dark  flight  of  tho 
tedious  hour?  to  which  she  has  doomed  herself,  wiL'  she  sigh 
over  that  fatal  moment  with  bitter  repentance,  but  it  will  come 
too  late !" 

"In  my  next  letter,  I  intend  to  tell  you  about  the  immense 
stock  of  ^merits,'  which  have  been,  and  are  still  accumulating 
— an  inexhaustible  fund  from  which  tlcey  presume  on  their  in- 
dulgences, but  have  i  ot  time  now;  indeed  I  must  postpone 
what  I  had  intended  to  say  on  other  points,  for  urgent  duties 
demand  my  attention. 
"  But  believe  me,  my  dear  brother,  as  ever,  vour  affectionate, 

"Henry ." 


"  Ro77ie 


"  31'/  dear  brother, — This  is  my  last  letfer  from  Romej  my 
health  has  wonderfully  improved,  and  I  intend  soon  to  set  my 
face  homeward. 

"Before  this  reaches  you,  I  shall  probably  be  on  my  way. 
I  shall  have  bid  adieu  to  all  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  this 
classic  city,  once  mistress  of  the  world,  and  be  quite  beyond 
the  charms  of  her  scenery,  the  balmy  breath  of  her  delight- 
ful hills,  and  all  her  romantic  associations;  and  indeed  the 
latter  have  long  since  floated  from  my  memory,  so  absorbed 
have  I  become  in  the  interests  of  her  future  spiritual  welfare 
— but  I  shall  carry  with  me  many  new  thoughts  and  new  feel- 
ings, which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  will  prompt  to  many  new 
efforts  and  to  many  nev/  plans. 

"  Henceforth,  my  brother,  I  will  be  the  Lord'b  '  I  will  live 
for  Him,  act  for  Him,  think  for  Him,  and  direct  every  effort 
of  my  soul  to  co-operate  in  bringing  back  this  darkened,  delu- 
ded world  of  immortals,  to  the  standard  of  the  holy  and  peaceful 
allegiance  of  Jesus;  to  hasten  that  latter-day  glory,  which  my 
soul  never  longed  with  such  intensity  to  see,  as  since  I  have 
contrasted  its  brightness  and  purity  with  the  depressing  gloom 
and  abominations  of  the  superstitious  ages  behind  us,  yet  lin- 
gering in  their  retreat  My  heart  has  almost  melted  within 
me,  as  I  have  watched  the  thick,  dark  clouds,  which  have  set- 
tled over  this  people,  and  the  horrible  blackness  ol  darkness 
which  has  shrouded,  and  still  envelopes  so  many  millions  of 
perishing  immortals,  as  they  make  their  final  plunge  into  the 
fathomless  gulf  of  eternity,  blindly  unprepared,  deceived  hy 


288  LETTERS   FROM   ROME. 

blind  guides,  and  eternally  lost.  Oh !  the  wo  reserved  in  the 
dregs  of  the  cup  of  antichrist,  the  indescribable  torments  that 
await  hnn  at  the  decisions  of  the  last  great  day! 

"Every  delusion  I  find  in  the  *  cup  of  abominations,'  pre- 
pared for  the  nations  by  the  '  mother  of  harlots,'  and  greedily 
drank  by  easily-deceived  souls,  thirsting  for  a  blessed  immor- 
tality, awakens  new  and  deeper  pangs  of  indignation  and 
grief,  till  my  heart,  at  times,  is  ready  to  burst  in  the  depths  of 
its  distress  for  souls. 

"I  thought  when  I  last  wrote  to  you,  that  I  had  some  fain, 
glimpse  of  the  deceits  and  delusions  practised  on  the  follow- 
ers of  Popery.  I  could  see  depths,  frightful  and  immense,  of 
treasures  of  gold  and  silver,  which  Papal  imposition  had  ex- 
torted from  the  ignorant  and  superstitious,  to  pamper  and  up- 
hold the  dominion  of  the  prince  of  darkness ;  but  I  had  not 
fathomed,  with  my  imperfect  vision,  the  greatest  reservoir  of 
all,  with  its  endless  channels  and  its  untold  bounds — I  mean 
that  of  ^  indulgences.'  I  was  not,  to  be  sure,  ignorant  of  the 
existence  of  such  a  fraud  to  obtain  the  mammom  of  unright- 
eousness, for  I  had  found  scarcely  a  church  in  Rome,  where 
'  plenary  indulgence'  did  not  blaze  in  tempting  letters — but  of 
the  extent  to  which  this  fraud  was  carried,  and  the  immense 
source  of  revenue  it  has  become,  I  was  uninformed.  I  had 
been  rather  startled,  I  confess,  at  the  full  pardon  of  sin  which 
a  few  prayers  before  certain  shrines,  and  a  few  pence,  slipped 
into  the  hand  of  a  priest,  would  procure ;  but  my  hair  stood 
almost  upright,  when  I  learned,  that  by  the  performance  of  a 
few  trifling,  heartless  ceremonies,  and  the  payment  of  certain 
sums  of  money,  30  or  40,000  and  even  500,000  years  of  in 
dulgence  might  be  purchased.  I  find  indulgences  are  of  dif 
ferent  degrees — 'full,'  'more  than  full,'  '  fullest.'  A  full  in- 
dulgence will  '  clear  you  of  all  that  can  be  laid  to  your  charge, 
and  bring  you  to  a  baptismal  innocency  till  the  time  and  date 
of  the  indulgence;  but  in  case  you  live  longer,  though  but  a 
fortnight,  your  total  indulgence  is  spent,  and  therefore  to  help 
you  out  here,  you  may  have  a  fuller  indulgence,  which  will 
carry  you  to  the  end  of  your  journey.' 

''You  may  buy  as  many  masses  as  will  free  your  souls 
from  purgatory  for  29,000  years,  at  the  church  of  St.  John's 
Lateran,  on  the  festa  of  that  saint. 

"  Those  that  have  interest  with  the  Pope,  may  obtain  an  ab- 
solution in  full,  from  his  Holiness,  for  all  the  sins  they  ever 
have  committed,  or  may  choose  to  commit. 

"  Certain  prices,  it  seems,  are  affixed  to  certain  sins,  and 


LETTERS  FR03I  ROME.  289 

entire  absolution  may  be  obtained  for  any  sin  you  can  name, 
by  paying  the  stipulated  sum. 

"  For  sins  which  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  we  find  called  down 
the  terrific  judgments  of  heaven,  a  man  may  obtain  absolution 
from  the  Pope  for  two  shillings,  two  and  sixpence,  and  per- 
haps less.  It  is"  almost  incredible  what  a  source  of  revenue 
the  sale  ol  ouils  of  indulgences  has  been  to  the  Romish  church 
— what  uncounted  treasures  have  been  amassed  in  the  Pope's 
coffers  by  this  means." 

"No  measures  are  untried,  that  crafty  policy  suggests,  to 
extort  masses  foi  the  dead — to  solicit  contributions  for  the  re- 
lief of  suffering  souls  in  purgatory.  Strange  tales  of  frightful 
visions  and  apparitions  are  circulated,*  of  souls  standing  in  burn- 
ing brimestone,  some  up  to  their  knees,  and  some  to  the  chin — 
of  others  swimming  in  cauldrons  of  melted  lead,  and  devils 
pouring  metal  down  their  throats,'  with  many  such  stories, 
greedily  swallowed  by  superstition  and  ignorance.  Solicitors, 
or  agents,  bearing  lanterns  with  a  painted  glass,  representing 
naked  persons  enveloped  in  flames,  parade  the  streets 'and  en- 
ter hous'es  with  tales  that  alarm,  and  appeals  that  excite  the 
compassion  for  these  'holy  souls.- 

"  So  great  is  the  dread  of  the  horrors  of  purgatory,  that  be- 
sides the  satisfactions  they  make  in  their  life  time,  many  de- 
luded souls  leave  large  legacies  to  the  church  to  procure  mas- 
ses daily,  weekly,  monthly  and  yearly,  as  far  as  their  money 
will  go.  Thus  also  are  multitudes  of  the  living  induced, 
through  compassion  for  the  supposed  sufferings  of  their  de- 
ceased relatives,  to  spend  large  and  frequent  sums;  sometimes 
even  to  forego  many  comforts  and  necessaries,  to  redeem  by 
masses  the  souls  of  those  they  love  from  the  horrors  of  the 
middle  state.  Many  would  rather  starve  their  surviving  fam- 
ilies, than  neglect  the  souls  of  the  departed.  This  doctrine  is 
a  mine,  as  profitable  to  the  church,  as  the  Indies  to  Spain." 

"You  cannot  conceive,  my  dear  brother,  of  the  depravation 
of  morals  here.  If  nothing  enters  heaven  'that  defileth,'  it 
must  be  a  comfortable  thought  to  the  priests  as  well  as  the 
people,  that  a  place  is  mercifully  provided  to  cleanse  them 
from  the  impurities  of  the  debauchery  they  indulge  on  earth. 
The  celibacy  of  the  priests  is  but  a  cloak  for  the  most  shame- 
less wickedness,  so  frequent  and  impudent  as  scarce  to  seek 
concealment — the  day  of  judgment  will  reveal  such  enormi- 
ties as  will  make  every  ear  to  tingle." 

"  I  wonder  not,  my  brother,  at  the  indignation  which  boiled 
m  the  breast  of  the  bold  and  fearless  Luther,  at  the  shameful 

2B 


290  LETTERS   FROM   RO^-IE. 

and  infamous  raflic  of  indulgences.  ^Behold  how  great  a 
matter  a  little  fire  kindleth !'  Little  did  he  imagine  the  flame 
that  burned  within  his  own  breast  was  the  torch  to  kindle 
Christendom — a  light  to  turn  the  eyes  of  ages  towards  the 
rising  of  that  better  day,  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all  Christ's 
followers.  How  great  should  be  our  gratitude,  that  we  were 
not  nurtured  in  the  long  reign  of  darkness,  which  shrouded 
this  and  other  countries  before  the  deep,  loud  blast  of  Luther's 
trumpet  sounded  the  alarm  among  sleeping  Christians.  He 
began  a  noble  work ;  may  all  our  energies  be  enlisted  in  its 
advancement,  till  He,  whose  right  it  is,  shall  rule  and  reign 
from  sea  to  sea — from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Great  is  the  work,  even  of  a  private  Christian,  I  believe,  it 
he  stands  in  his  lot,  doing  with  his  might  what  his  hands  find 
to  do. 

"  May  you  and  I,  my  dear  brother,  be  watchful  and  ddigent 
in  our  Master's  work,  that  when  he  cometh,  he  may  say,  "  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servants,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."  .      _ 

"Yours,  in  the  bonds  of  the  strongest  aflTection, 

Henry  S ." 


APPEIVDIX, 

CONTAINING  THE  PRESERVATIVE  AGAINST 


POPERY; 


BY  THE  REV.  JOSEPH  BLANCO  WHITE. 


Formerly  (''mplain  to  the  King  of  Spain,  in  the  Royal  Chapel 

of  Seville,— now  a  Clergyman  of  the  Church  of 

England. 

DIALOGUE  I. 


Containing  an  account  of  the  Author ;  how  the  Errors  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church  made  him  an  Infidel ;  and  how,  to  avoid  her  Tyranny,  he  r  ara<» 
to  England,  where  the  knowledge  of  the  Protestant  Religion,  made  him 
again  embrace  Cliristianity. 

Reader.  Well,  Sir,  since  you  are  pleased  to  wish  for  a  con- 
versation with  me,  may  I  make  bold  to  ask  who  you  are? 

Author.  By  all  means,  my  good  friend.  The  truth  is,  that 
unless  you  know  who  I  am,  and  by  what  strange  and  unfore- 
seen events  I  happen  to  be  here,  our  conversation  v/ould  be 
to  little  purpose.  You  must,  then,  know,  in  the  first  place, 
that  I  am  a  Spaniard,  and  have  been  regularly  bred  and  or- 
dained a  Catholic  priest. 

R.  Indeed,  Sir!  Perhaps  you  are  one  of  those  poor  crea- 
tures who,  I  hear,  have  l)een  driven  out  of  Spam  for  having 
tried  to  give  it  a  belter  government. 

A.  No,  my  friend:  I  have  been  now  (1825)  more  laan  fif- 
teen years  in  England,  and  came  hither  of  my  own  accord, 
though  I  left  behind  e^ry  thing  that  was  most  dear  to  me,  oe- 
sides  very  good  prefemient  in  the  church,  and  the  prospect  oi 
rising  to  higher  places  of  honor  and  emolument. 

R,  Why,  Sir!  that  appears  strange. 

291 


292  PRESERVATIVE 

A.  So  it  must  to  those  who  are  not  acquainted  with  the  evil 
from  which  I  resolved  to  escape,  at  the  expense  of  every  thing 
I  possessed  in  the  world.  You,  my  dear  friend,  have  had  your 
lot  cast  in  a  country  which  is  perfectly  free  from  religious  ty- 
ranny. Were  it  possible  for  you  to  have  been  born  in  Spain, 
and  yet  to  possess  the  free  spirit  of  a  Briton,  you  would  not 
^wonder  at  the  determination  which  made  me  quit  parents,  kin- 
dred, friends,  wealth  and  country,  and  cast  myself  upon  the 
world  at  large,  at  the  age  of  five  and  thirty,  trusting  to  my  owa 
exertions  for  a  maintenance.  All  this  I  did  merely  to  escape 
from  religious  tyranny. 

R.  You  quite  surprise  me,  Sir  I  But  I  wish  you  would  tell 
me  what  it  is  you  mean  by  that  religious  tyranny,  which  you 
seem  to  have  feared  and  hated  so  strongly. 

A.  You  will  easily  understand  it  as  I  proceed  with  the  story 
of  my  own  life.  I  was  born  of  gentle  parents,  and  brought 
up  with  great  care  and  tenderness.  My  father's  family  were 
Irish,  and  the  English  language  being  spoken  by  him  and  ma- 
ny of  his  dependants,  I  learned  it  when  a  boy;  and  thanks  to 
that  circumstance,  which  I  consider  as  a  means  employed  by 
Providence  for  my  future  good,  I  can  now  thus  freely  converse 
with  you.  Both  my  father  and  mother  were  Roman  Catholics, 
extremely  pious  from  their  youth,  and  devoted  to  works  of  char- 
ity and  piety  during  the  whole  course  of  their  lives.  It  was 
natural  that  such  good  parents  should  educate  their  children  in 
the  most  religious  manner;  and  they  spared  themselves  no 
pains  to  make  me  a  good  Roman  Catholic.  My  disposition  was 
not  wayward;  and  I  grew  up  strongly  attached  to  the  sort  of 
religion  which  was  instilled  into  my  mind.  I  had  scarcely  ar- 
rived at  my  fourteenth  year,  when,  believing  that  the  life  in 
which  I  could  most  please  God  was  that  of  a  clergyman,  I  ask- 
ed my  parents  to  prepare  me  for  the  church ;  which  they  agreed 
to  with  great  joy.  I  passed  many  years  at  the  university,  took 
my  degrees,  and  at  the  age  of  five  and  twenty,  was  made  a 
Priest.  It  is  the  custom  in  Spain,  when  certain  places  become 
vacant  in  cathedrals,  and  other  great  churches,  to  invite  as  ma- 
ny clergyman  as  will  allow  themselves  to  be  examined,  before 
the  public,  to  stand  candidates  for  the  vacancy.  After  the  tri- 
al of  their  learning,  the  judges  appointed  by  law,  give  the  place 
to  him  whom  they  believe  to  be  the  most  competent. — I  should 
be  ashamed  to  boast,  but  so  it  happened,  that  soon  after  my 
becoming  a  Priest,  I  was  made  one  of  the  Chaplains  of  the 
King  of  Spain,  in  the  way  I  have  just  told  you.  AH  had  been, 
aitherto,  we  1  enough  with  me ;  and  I  thank  God  that  the  ease 


AGAINST    POPERY.  293 

and  good  fortune  which  had  always  attended  me,  did  not 
make  me  forget  my  duties  as  a  Clergyman. — Doubts,  however, 
had  ocourred  to  me  now  and  then,  as  to  whether  the  Roman 
Catliohc  religion  was  true.  My  fear  of  doing  wrong  by  lis 
tening  to  them,  made  me  hush  them  for  a  long  time  •  but  all 
my  peace  of  mind  was  gone.  In  vain  did  I  kneel  and  pray: 
the  doubts  would  multiply  upon  me,  disturbing  all  my  devo- 
tions. Thus  I  struggled  month  after  month,  tillunable  to  an- 
swer the  objections  that  continually  occurred  to  me,  I  renoun- 
ced the  Roman  Catholic  religion  in  my  heart. 

R.  In  your  heart,  Sir'.  I  hope  you  do  not  mean  that  when 
you  had  settled  with  yourself  that  the  Popish  religion  was 
false,  you  pjetended  still  to  be  a  Roman  Catholic. 

A.  What  would  you  think  of  a  power,  or  authority,  that 
would  force  you  to  act  like  a  hypocrite  ? 

R.  I  should  think  that  it  was  no  better  than  the  government 
cf  the  Turks,  which,  as  I  hear,  treats  men  like  beasts. 

A.  Well ;  now  you  will  be  able  to  understand  what  I  mean 
by  religious  tyranny.  The  Popes  of  Rome  believe  that  they 
have  a  right  to  oblige  all  men  who  have  been  baptized,  but 
more  especially  those  who  have  been  baptized  by  their  Priests, 
to  continue  Roman  Catholics  to  their  lives'  end.  Whenever 
any  one  living  under  their  authority,  has  ventured  to  deny 
any  of  the  doctrines  which  the  Church  of  Rome  believes,  they 
have  shut  them  up  in  prisons,  tormented  them  upon  the  rack, 
and,  if  they  would  not  recant,  and  unsay  what  they  had  given 
out  as  their  real  persuasion,  the  poor  wretches  have  been 
burnt  as  heretics.  The  kings  of  Spain,  being  Catholics,  acted 
upon  these  matters  according  to  the  will  of  the  Pope ;  and,  in 
order  to  prevent  every  Spainard  from  being  any  thing,  at  least 
in  appearance,  but  a  Papist,  had  established  a  court  called  the 
Inquisition^  where  a  certain  number  of  Piicsts  tried,  in  secret, 
such  people  as  w^ere  accused  of  having  denied  any  of  the  arti- 
cles of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  Whenever,  moved  by  fear 
of  the  consequences,  the  prisoner  chose  to  eat  his  own  w^ords, 
and  declare  that  he  was  wrong;  the  Priests  sent  him  to  do 
penance  for  a  certain  time,  or  aid  a  heavy  fine  upon  him :  but 
if  the  accused  had  courage  to  persist  in  his  own  opinion,  tL..n 
the  Priests  declared  that  he  was  a  heretic,  and  gave  him  up  to 
the  public  executioner,  to  be  burnt  alive. 

R.  You  astonish  me.     Have  >ou  ever  seen  such  things,  Sir? 

A.  I  well  remember  the  last  that  was  burnt  for  being  a  here- 
tic, in  my  own  town,  which  is  called   Seville.     It  was  a  poor 
blind  woman.     I  was  then  about  eight  years  old,  and  sa  w  tha 
2b2 


294  PRESERVATIVE 

pile  of  wood,  upon  barrels  of  pitch  and  tar,  where  she  was 
reduced  to  ashes. 

R.  B-it  are  there  many  who  venture  their  Uves  for  the  sake 
of  what  they  beheve  to  be  the  true  Gospel? 

A.  A.asl  there  was  a  time  when  many  hundreds  of  men 
and  won  en  sacrificed  themselves  for  the  love  of  the  Protestant 
religion  which  is  professed  in  England.  But  the  horrible 
cruelties  which  were  practised  upon  them,  disheartened  all 
those  who  were  disposed  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  Pope 
and  now  people  disguise  their  religious  opinions,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  most  horrible  persecution. 

R.  And  you.  Sir,  of  course,  were  obliged  to  disguise  youi 
own  persuasion,  in  order  not  to  lose  your  liberty  and  your  life. 

A.  Just  so.  I  lived  ten  years  in  the  most  wretched  and 
distressed  state  of  mind.  Nothing  was  wanting  to  my  being 
happy  but  the  liberty  of  declaring  my  opinions;  but  that  is 
impossible  for  a  Roman  Catholic,  who  lives  under  the  laws 
which  the  Popes  have  induced  most  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
princes  to  establish  in  their  kingdoms.  I  could  not  say,  as  a 
Roman  Catholic  may,  under  the  government  of  Great  Brit- 
ain and  Ireland,  "  I  will  no  longer  be  a  spiritual  subject  of 
tlje  Pope:  I  will  worship  God  as  my  conscience  tells  me  I 
should,  and  according  to  what  I  find  in  the  Bible."  No:  had 
I  said  so,  or  even  much  less;  had  any  words  escaped  me,  in 
conversation,  from  which  it  might  be  suspected  that  I  did  not 
believe  exactly  what  the  Pope  commands,  I  should  have  been 
taken  out  of  my  bed  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  carried 
to  one  of  the  prisons  of  the  Inquisition.  Often,  indeed,  very 
oflen  have  I  passed  a  restless  night  under  the  apprehension 
that,  in  consequence  of  some  unguarded  words,  my  house 
would  be  assailed  by  the  ministers  of  the  Inquisition,  and  I 
should  be  hurried  away  in  the  black  carriage,  which  they 
used  for  conveying  dissenters  to  their  dungeons.  Happy  in- 
deed are  the  people  of  these  kingdoms,  where  every  man's 
house  is  his  castle;  and  where,  provided  he  has  not  committed 
some  real  crime,  he  may  sleep  under  the  protection  of  a  mere 
latch  to  his  door,  as  if  he  dwelt  in  a  walled  and  moated  for- 
tress! No  such  feeling  of  safety  can  be  enjoyed  where  tht 
tyranny  of  Popery  prevails.  A  Roman  Catholic,  who  is  not 
protected  by  Protestant  laws,  is  all  over  the  world  a  slave,  who 
cannot  utter  a  \vord  against  the  opinions  of  his  church,  but  at 
his  peril.  "  The  very  walls  have  ears,"  is  a  common  saying 
in  my  country.  A  man  is  indeed  beset  with  spies;  for  the 
Church  of  Rome   has  contrived  to  employ  every  one  as  such, 


AGAINST    POPERr.  295 

against  his  nearest  and  dearest  relations.  Every  year  tl  ^erc  is 
publicly  read  at  church,  a  proclamation,  or  (as  they  call  it) 
a  bull  from  the  Pope,  commanding  parents  to  accuse  their 
children,  cliildren  tlieir  parents,  husbands  their  wives,  and 
wives  their  husbands,  of  any  words  or  actions  against  the  Ro- 
<Mun  Catholic  Religion.  They  are  told,  that  whoever  dis'o- 
hev^  this  command,  not  only  incurs  damnation  for  his  own 
60.il,  but  is  the  cause  of  the  same  to  those  whom  he  wishes  to 
spare.  So  that  many  have  had  for  their  accusers  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  without  knowing  to  wliom  tliey  owed  their  suffer- 
ings under  the  Incjuisitors;  for  the  name  of  the  informer  is 
kept  a  most  profound  secret,  and  the  accused  is  tried  without 
ever  seeing  the  witnesses  against  him. 

R.  I  am  j)erfectly  astonished  at  the  things  you  say,  Sir;  and 
did  I  not  perceive  by  your  manners  that  you  are  a  gentleman, 
I  should  certainly  suspect  that  you  were  trying  to  trepan  us 
poor  unlearned  people. 

A.  I  neither  wonder,  nor  am  offended  at  your  suspicion. 
All  that  I  can  say  to  remove  it  is,  that  I  am  well  known  in 
London;  that  for  the  truth  of  every  thing  you  have  already 
heard,  and  will  hear  from  me,  I  am  ready  to  be  examined  ujwn 
oath;  and  that  there  are  many  hundreds  of  Spaniards  at  this 
moment  in  England,  who  will  attest  every  word  of  mine  about 
tlie  Inquisition  of  the  Pope  in  Spain.  I  say  the  Inquisition  of 
the  Pope,  because  that  horrible  court  of  justice  was  establish- 
ed, kept  uj),  and  managed  by  and  under  the  Pope's  autnority. 
And  now  I  must  add  one  word  as  to  the  effects  of  tl.e  Pope's 
contrivance  to  make  spies  of  the  nearest  relations,  against 
those  who  might  not  believe  every  tittle  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Religion.  I  have  told  you  that  my  parents  were  good  and 
kind.  My  mother  was  a  lady  whom  all  the  poor  of  the  neigh- 
borhood loved  for  her  goodness  and  charity;  and  indeed  I 
often  saw  her  denying  herself  even  the  common  comforts  of 
life,  that  she  might  have  the  more  to  give  away.  I  was  her 
favorite  child,  being  the  eldest;  and  it  is  impossible  for  a 
mother  to  love  with  more  ardent  affection  than  she  showed 
towards  me.  Well,  as  I  could  not  entirely  conceal  my  own 
mind  in  regard  to  Popery,  she  began  to  suspect  that  I  was  not 
a  true  Roman  Catholic  in  my  heart.  Now,  she  knew  that  the 
Pope  had  made  it  her  duty  to  turn  rnformer  even  against  her 
own  child,  in  such  cases;  and  dreading  that  the  day  might 
come,  when  some  words  should  drop  from  me  against  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion,  which  it  would  be  her  duty  to  carry 
to  the  judges,  she  used  to  avoid  my  company,  ana  shut  herself 


296  PRESERVATIVE 

up,  to  Wv'^ep  for  me.  I  could  not,  at  first,  make  out  why  my 
dear  mother  shunned  my  company;  and  was  cut  to  the  heart 
by  her  apparent  unkindness.  I  might  to  this  day  have  believ- 
ed that  1  had  lost  her  afiection,  but  that  an  intimate  friend  of 
hers  put  me  in  possession  of  the  state  of  her  mind. 

R.  Upon  my  word,  Sir,  you  give  me  such  horror  of  Roman 
Catholics,  that  I  shall  in  future  look  with  suspicion  on  some 
neighbors  of  mine  of  that  persuasion. 

A.  God  forbid  that  such  should  be  the  consequence  of  my 
communication  with  you.  The  Roman  Catholic  religion  m 
itself,  and  such  as  the  Pope  would  make  it  all  over  the  world, 
if  there  were  no  protestant  laws  to  resist  it,  is  the  most  horri- 
ble system  of  tyranny  that  ever  opposed  the  welfare  of  man. 
But  most  of  the  Roman  Catholics  in  these  kingdoms  are  not 
aware  of  the  evils  which  their  religion  is  likely  to  produce. 
They  have  grown  up  under  the  intiuence  of  a  constitution, 
which  ow^es  its  full  freedom  to  Protestantism;  and  many  of 
them  are  Protestants  in  feelings,  whom  their  priests,  1  am 
sure,  must  lead  with  a  very  light  rein-hand,  for  fear  of  their 
running  away.  There  is,  indeed,  no  reason  for  either  fear  or 
suspicions,  with  regard  to  the  Roman  Catholics  of  these  king 
doms,  so  long  as  both  the  Government  and  Parliament  remain 
purely  Protestant;  but  I  would  not  answer  for  the  conse- 
quences if  the  Pope,  through  his  priests,  could  obtain  an  un- 
derhand influence  in  either. 

R.  But,  Sir,  I  want  to  know  the  rest  of  your  own  story,  and 
how,  the  ugh  obliged  to  appear  outwardly  a  Roman  Catholic, 
you  settljd  within  yourself  what  you  were  to  believe. 

A.  I  will  not  delay  to  satisfy  your  curiosity,  though  that 
part  of  my  story  is  the  most  painful  to  me.  At  all  events, 
you  will  be  sure,  when  you  hear  it,  that  I  am  telling  the  truth, 
the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  since  I  do  not  spare 
myself — You  must  know,  then,  that  from  the  moment  I  be- 
lieved that  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  was  false,  I  had  no 
religion  at  all,  and  lived  without  God  in  the  world. 

R.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that.  Sir.  But  surely  you  might 
have  tried  some  other  church  before  you  became  an  Infidel. 

A.  Ah,  my  honest  and  worthy  friend,  your  expressions  de- 
serve my  praise,  though  I  feel  humbled  and  rebuked  by  their 
truth.  Yet  you  forget  that  I  was  in  a  country  where  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion  played  its  accustomed  game  of 
Christ  with  the  Pope,  or  no  Christ.  The  first  thing  that  a 
true  Roman  Catholic  teaches  those  who  grow  under  his  care 
is,  that  either  all  that  the  Church  of  Rome  believes  is  true,  or 


AGAINST  POPERY.  297 

all  that  IS  contained  n  the  Scriptures  is  false.  To  believe  that 
the  Church  of  Rome  can  be,  or  is  wrong  in  one  single  article 
of  her  creed,  is,  according  to  that  Church,  the  same  as  to  dis- 
believe the  whole  Gospel.  That  is  the  reason  why  in  coun- 
tries where  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  is  strictly  observed, 
every  one  who  rejects  Poj)ery  in  his  heart,  looks  immediately 
upon  Christianity  as  a  fable. 

R.  Pardon  me,  Sir,  I  do  not  mean  to  offend  you;  but  I 
should  wish  to  know  if  you  still  continue  of  the  same  opinion, 
and  believe  with  Hone  and  Carlile,  and  all  that  kind  of  peo 
pie,  whose  books  are  sometimes  secretly  sold  among  country- 
folks, that  there  is  no  truth  in  the  Bible. 

A.  I  am  so  far  from  being  of  that  mind,  that  I  do  humbly 
and  earnestly  pray  to  God  he  will  rather  deprive  me  of  every 
temporal  comfort,  and  make  my  sufferings  in  this  world  equal 
to  those  of  the  most  unhappy  wretch  that  ever  breathed, 
than  withdraw  from  me  his  grace,  whereby  I  believe  in  his 
Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  hope,  through  his  merits,  for  eternal 
salvation. 

R.  I  have  not  the  heart  to  say  Amen  to  the  first  part  of  your 
prayer,  though  I  cordially  join  in  the  last.  But  will  you  have 
the  goodness  to  inform  me  how  it  was  that  you  came  to  believe 
again  in  the  Bible,  in  spite  of  your  former  opinions?  For  I 
have  often  heard  a  neighbor  of  mine,  who  frequeni  ly  boasts 
that  he  is  an  infidel,  say,  that  the  man  whose  eyes  are  once 
(as  he  calls  it)  open  about  the  Bible,  can  never  be  made  again 
to  believe  in  it. 

A.  I  wish  I  could  relate  my  own  history  to  that  neighbor 
of  yours.  Perhaps,  by  God's  mercy,  he  might  himself  use 
some  of  the  means  which  Providence  has  employed  in  my 
own  conversion.  Of  one  thing  I  feel  quite  assured  on  this 
point,  that  if  by  God's  grace,  which  always  assists  the  honest 
inquirer  after  religious  truth,  your  infidel  neighbor  would 
abstain  from  open  sin,  and  pray  daily  to  his  Maker,  (for  I  hope 
he  has  not  gone  so  far  as  to  deny  the  being  of  a  God,)  to  lead 
him  into  the  truth,  he  would  soon  become  a  sincere  Christian. 
But  I  will  proceed  with  the  account  of  myself  When  I  had 
in  my  own  mind  thrown  off  all  allegiance  to  the  Christian  re- 
ligion, though  I  tried  to  enjoy  myself,  and  indulge  my  desires, 
I  could  find  neither  happiness  nor  comfort.  My  mind  was 
naturally  averse  to  deceit,  and  I  could  not  brook  the  necessity 
of  acting  publicly  as  the  minister  of  a  religion  which  I  believed 
'3  be  false.  But  what  could  I  do?  As  for  wealth a*jd  honors, 
heaven  kno\v  s  they  did  not  veigh  a  straw  against  my  love   of 


298  PRESERVATIVE 

manl}'  openness  and  liberty.  I  once,  indeed,  went  so  far  as  to 
write  to  a  friend  who  lived  at  Cadiz,  and  whom,  after  many 
years'  absence,  1  have  lately  seen  in  London,  to  procure  me  a 
passage  to  North  America,  whither  1  wished  to  escape;  trust- 
ing to  my  own  labor  for  subsistence.  But  when  I  looked 
round  and  saw  my  dear  father  and  mother  on  the  decline  of 
life ;  when  I  considered  that  my  flight  would  bring  their  grey 
hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave,  tears  would  gush  into  my 
eyes,  and  the  courage  which  I  owed  to  anger,  melted  at  cnce 
into  love  for  the  authors  of  my  being.  Ten  years  of  my  life 
did  1  pass  in  this  hot  and  cold  fever,  this  ague  of  the  heart, 
v/ithout  a  hope,  without  a  drop  of  that  cordial  v/hich  cheers 
the  very  soul  of  those  who  sacrifice  their  desires  to  their  duiy, 
under  the  blessed  influence  of  religion.  At  last  it  pleased 
God  to  afford  me  a  means  of  escaping  from  the  tyranny  df . 
the  Pope,  and  make  me  Vvillingly  and  joyfully  submit  to  the 
easy  yoke  of  his  blessed  Son,  Jesus  Christ.  The  ways  of  Provi- 
dence for  my  change  appear  so  wonderful  to  me,  that  I  feel  al- 
most overcome  when  I  earnestly  think  upon  them.  In  the 
first  place,  it  was  certain  that  I  could  not  leave  Spain  for  a 
Protestant  country,  without  giving  a  death-blov/  to  my  parents. 
Could  any  human  being  have  foreseen,  in  the  year  1807,  that 
in  1810,  my  own  father  and  mother  wofild  urge  me  to  leave 
my  country  for  England?  And  yet,  so  it  came  to  pass.  You 
have  heard  how  Bonaparte  entered  Spain  with  the  design  of 
placing  his  brother  Joseph  upon  the  throne  of  that  country; 
how  for  a  time  he  seemed  to  have  obtained  his  wishes  when 
his  armies  advanced  till  they  came  within  view  of  Cadiz,  aijd 
thre-r.tened  to  extinguish  the  last  hope  of  the  Spaniards.  I 
v/as  at  that  time  at  Seville,  my  native  town.  As  the  French 
troops  approached  it,  all  those  who  would  not  submit  to  their 
government,  and  had  the  means  of  removing  to  another  place, 
tried  to  be  beforehand  with  them,  by  taking  their  flight  to 
Cadiz.  My  parents  could  not  abandon  their  home;  but  as 
they  abhorred  the  French  troops,  and  hated  the  injustice  of 
their  invasion,  they  were  anxious  that  I  should  quit  the  town. 
Here  I  saw  the  most  favorable  opening  for  executing  my 
long  delayed  plan  for  escaping  the  religious  tyranny  under 
which  I  groaned;  and  pretending  that  I  did  not  feel  secure  at 
Cadiz,  prepared  in  four  days  to  leave  my  country  for  England 
I  knew  it  was  forever,  and  my  heart  bleeds  at  the  recollcc 
tion  of  the  last  view  I  took  of  my  father  and  mother.  A  fev 
"iveeks  after  I  found  myself  on  these  shores. 
R.  Indeed,  Sir^  I  think  you  did  right.     Poor  as  I  am,  had  \ 


AGAINST  POPEBY.  299 

known  your  case  when  you  arrived,  I  \vo\ilcI  have  shook  you 
by  the  hand,  and  \vel«r  nied  you  to  my  cottage. 

A.  If  I  should  tell  you  all  the  gratitude  I  feel  for  this  coun- 
try, and  my  sense  of  the  kindness  and  friendship  with  v/hich 
[  have  met  from  the  moment  I  landed,  you  might  suspect  me 
of  flattery. — But  how  different  appeared  England  to  me  from 
what  I  had  imagined  it  to  be! 

R,  What,  sir,  did  you  fear  that  we  should  behave  rudely  to 
a  foreigner,  who  came  for  shelter  among  us? 

A.  No,  indeed;  that  was  not  my  mistake.  I  found  England 
as  hospitable  and  generous  as  it  had  always  been  described  to 
me.  But  one  thing  I  found  in  it  which  I  never  expected;  that 
was,  true  and  sincere  religion.  I  have  told  you  that  in  Popish 
countries  people  are  made  to  believe  that  whoever  is  not  a 
Roman  Catholic  is  only  a  Christian  in  name.  I  therefore 
supposed  that  in  this  Protestant  country,  though  men  appeared 
externally  to  have  a  religion,  few  or  none  would  care  any 
thing  about  it.  Now  observe  the  merciful  dispensations  of 
Providence  with  regard  to  me.  Had  I  upon  my  first  arrival 
flilien  in  with  some  of  your  infidels,  I  should  have  been  con- 
firmed in  all  my  errors.  But  it  pleased  God  so  to  direct 
events  as  to  make  me  very  soon  acquainted  with  one  of  the 
most  excellent  and^ligious  families  in  London.  I  had  in  my 
former  blindness  and  ignorance,  believed  that  since  in  Spain, 
which  is  the  most  thoroughly  Roman  Catholic  country  in  the 
world,  the  morals  in  general  are  very  loose;  a  nation  of  Chris- 
tians only  in  name,  (for  such  was  my  mistaken  opinion  of  you) 
would  be  infinitely  more  addicted  to  vicious  courses.  But, 
when  I  began  to  look  about  me,  and  observed  the  modesty  of 
the  ladies,  the  quiet  and  orderly  lives  of  the  greatest  part  of 
the  gentry,  and  compared  their  decent  conversation  with  the 
profane  talk  which  is  tolerated  in  my  country,  I  perceived,  at 
once,  that  my  head  was  full  of  absurd  notions,  and  prepared 
myself  to  root  out  from  it  whatever  I  should  find  to  be  wrong. 
In  this  sta-3  of  mind  I  went  one  Sunday  to  Church,  out  of  mere 
curiosity ;  for  my  thoughts  were  at  that  time  very  far  from 
God  and  his  worship.  The  unmeaning  ceremonies  of  the 
Roman  Catholics  had  made  me  sick  of  churches  and  church- 
service.  But  when  in  the  course  of  ^ne  prayers,  I  perceived 
the  beautiful  simplicity  and  the  waim-heartedness,  if  I  may 
say  so,  of  your  prayer-book,  my  heart,  which,  for  ten  years, 
had  appeared  quite  dead  to  all  religious  feelings,  could  not 
but  show  a  disposition  to  revive,  like  the  leafless  trees  when 
b.reathed  upon  by  the  first  soft  breezes  of  sprmg.     God  had 


goo  PRESERVATIVE 

prevented  its  becoming  a  dead  trunk :  it  gave  indeed  no  signs 
of  lite;  but  the  sap  was  stirring  up  from  the  root.  This  was 
easily  perceived  in  the  etlect  which  the  singing  of  a  hymn  had 
upon  me  that  morning.     It  begins — 

When  all  thy  mercies,  O  my  God, 

My  rising  soul  surveys, 
Transported  with  the  view,  Pm  lost 

In  wonder,  love,  and  praise. 

The  sentiments  expressed  in  this  beautiful  hymn  penetrate 
my  soul  like  the  first  rain  that  falls  upon  a  thirsty  land.  My 
long,  impious  disregard  of  God,  the  father  and  supporter  of 
my  life  and  being,  made  me  blush,  and  feel  ashamed  of  myself; 
and  a  strong  sense  of  the  irrational  ungratefulness  in  which  I 
had  so  long  lived,  forced  a  profusion  of  tears  from  my  oyes. 
I  left  the  church  a  very  different  man  from  what  I  wtiS  when 
I  entered  it;  but  still  very  far  from  being  a  true  believer  in 
Christ.  Yet,  from  that  day  I  began  to  put  up  a  very  short 
prayer  every  morning,  asking  for  light  and  jn-otection  from  my 
Creator,  and  thanking  him  for  his  goodness.  It  happened 
about  that  time  that  some  books  concerning  the  truth  of  re- 
ligion— a  kind  of  works  in  which  this  country  excels  all 
others — fell  in  my  way.  I  thought  it  fair  to  examine  the  mat- 
ter again,  though  I  imagined  that  no  ma^^could  ever  answer 
the  arguments  against  it,  which  had  become  quite  familiar  to 
my  mind.  As  I  grew  less  and  less  prejudiced  against  the 
truth  of  Divine  Revelation,  I  prayed  more  earnestly  for  assis- 
tance in  the  important  examination  in  which  I  was  engaged. 
I  then  began  a  careful  perusal  of  the  Scriptures,  and  it  pleased 
God,  at  the  end  of  two  years,  to  remove  my  blindness,  so  far 
as  to  enable  me  with  humble  sincerity  to  receive  the  sacra- 
ment according  to  the  manner  of  the  Church  of  England; 
which  appeared  to  me,  in  the  course  of  my  inquiries,  to  be  of 
all  human  establishments,  the  most  suited,  in  her  discipline,  to 
promote  the  ends  of  the  Gospel,  and  in  her  doctrines  as  pure 
and  orthodox  as  those  which  were  founded  by  the  Apostles 
themselves.  It  is  to  me  a  matter  of  great  comfort  that  I  have 
now  lived  a  much  longer  period  in  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
truth  of  Christianity,  than  I  spent  in  my  former  unbelief 

R.  You  have  indeed  great  reason  to  thank  God.  But  have 
you  never  had  any  doubts  about  our  church,  since  you  became 
a  membei  of  it. 

A.  Never,  my  friend,  as  compared  with  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic. I  am  so  fully  persuaded  that  the  doctrines  properly  called 
Popish,  and  v  bich  make  the  real  difference  between  Protea 


AGAINST    POPERY.  301 

I  nls  and  RomanislF,  are  false,  that  they  would  shake  my  faith 
i.<  the  Gospel,  if  one  could  prove  to  me  that  they  are  part  of 
ii.  That  I  am  sure  can  never  be  done;  and  since  I  learnt  to 
Separate  the  chaff  of  Rome  from  the  true  grain  of  Christ,  I 
have  never  turned  my  back  on  my  Master  and  Redeemer.  I 
will,  however,  confess  to  you,  that  several  years  after  I  em- 
braced the  Protestant  religion,  I  was  strongly  tempted  in  my 
faith; not,  however,  as  I  said  before,  from  any  leaning  to  pope- 
ry, but  from  a  doubt  whether  tlie  doctrine  of  the  people  called 
Unitarians — I  mean  those  who  say  that  Christ  was  nothing 
but  a  man,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary — might  not  be  true. 
This  was  a  very  severe  trial  to  me;  for  as  1  had  so  long  re- 
nounced the  Christian  faith,  my  mind  required  an  uncommon 
assistance  of  Divine  grace,  to  prevent  it  from  relapsing,  like  a 
person  recovered  out  of  a  long  illness,  into  my  old  habits  of 
unbelief.  In  this  state  of  doubt,  but  without  any  rash  positive- 
ness  on  either  side  (for,  thank  God,  my  past  errors  had  made 
me  well  acquainted  with  my  weakness,)  I  carefully  examined 
the  Scriptures,  never  omitting  to  pray  to  the  Almighty  that  he 
would  make  me  acquainted  with  the  truth.  Clouds  of  doubt 
hovered,  a  long  time,  over  my  soul,  and  darkness  increased 
.low  and  then  in  such  a  degree  that  I  feared  my  Christian  faith 
had  been  extinguished.  Had  I,  in  consequence  of  this  dispo- 
sition to  unbelief,  returned,  as  is  often  the  case,  to  a  course  of 
immorality,  nothing  could  have  saved  me  from  a  relapse  into 
mfidelity.  But  the  grace  of  God  was  secretly  at  work  in  me, 
and  whatever  doubts  I  had  about  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel, 
I  never  deemed  myself  at  liberty,  openly  and  wilfully  to  offend 
against  its  commandments.  I  sincerely  wished  to  find  the 
truth;  and  though  in  my  distress  I  felt  often  inclined  to  doubt 
again  the  truth  of  Revelation,  my  knowledge  of  the  vanity  and 
fiimsiness  of  infidelity,  made  me  turn  to  Christ,  and  say  (I  can 
assure  you  I  often  uttered  the  words  aloud  in  tears,)  "To  whom 
shall  I  go?  thou  hast  the  words  of  etenivil  life."*  Partly  from 
these  doubts,  and  partly  from  a  long  and  lingering  illness 
which  the  change  of  climate  had  brought  upon  me,  I  passed 
the  greatest  part  of  a  year  without  receiving  the  sacrament. 
Had  I,  as  far  as  it  was  my  own  fault,  abstained  much  longer 
from  that  appointed  means  of  grace,  I  fear  I  should  have  fallen 
a  second  time  from  the  faith;  but,  by  God's  mercy,  I  examined 
myself  upon  that  point,  and  finding  that  my  conscience  did  not 
charge  me  with  any  true  impediment  to  the  reception  of  the 

*  John  vi.  68. 
2G 


3\}2  PRESERVATIVE 

Holy  Sacrament  and  that,  as  to  the  doubts  on  my  mix  d  hey 
were  involuntar\',  and  accompanied  with  a  sincere  desire  of 
imding  the  truth.  1  presented  myself  at  the  sacramental  table, 
with  feelings,  similar  to  those  which  I  conceived  I  should  have^ 
if,  as  it  was  then  probable,  death  had  sent  me  v*'ith  my  doubts, 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  I  threw  myself,  in  fact, 
wholly  upon  his  mercy.  My  trust  was  not  in  vain:  for  calm 
was  soon  restored  to  ray  soul ;  and  I  found  myself  stronger  than 
ever  in  the  faith  and  profession  which  I  made  when  I  became 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  England.  You  see,  my  friend,  that 
I  disguise  not  my  weakness  from  the  world.  You  may  suppose, 
that  for  a  man  who  has  spent  his  whole  life  in  the  pursuit  of 
learning,  it  must  be  very  mortifying  to  publish  so  m.any  errors, 
so  many  doubts,  in  a  word,  to  shew  the  utter  feebleness  of  his 
mind  and  soul,  when  unsupported  by  Divine  grace.  But  I 
conceive  this  to  be  a  duty  which  I  ov/e  to  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  my  fellow-creatures.  How 
happy  should  I  be  if  the  humblest  individual,  when  tempted, 
should  take  courage  from  the  knowledge  of  my  case,and  clina 
to  prayer  whilst  he  examined,  like  the  noble  Bereans,"whethei 
these  things  were  so."* 

R.  Sir,  I  pity  what  you  have  suffered;  but  I  must  say  it  com 
forts  me  to  find  that  doubts  and  errors  upon  religious  subjects 
are  not  confined  to  the  unlearned. 

A.  They  are  not,  indeed ;  on  the  contrary,  the  pride  of  hu- 
man knowledge  is  often  the  rock  on  which  the  faith  of  the  high- 
er classes  of  society  is  wrecked.  It  is  the  true  character  of 
the  Gospel  to  be  "hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  to  be 
revealed  unto  babes  ;"t  not  that  true  learning  or  knowledge  is 
in  opposition  to  spiritual  truth,  but  because  the  best  dispositions 
for  faith  are  humility  and  singleness  of  heart.  The  appointed 
ministers  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  are  indeed  commanded  to 
"be  able  by  sound  doctrine  both  to  exhort  and  to  convince  the 
gainsayers,"t  but,  though  this  direction  of  the  Apostle  Paul 
does  not  exclude  the  laity  from  religious  learning,  and  every 
man,  according  to  his  ability,  should  make  himself  acquainted 
with  the  unanswerable  reasons  on  which  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel is  founded,  the  saving  faith  of  Christianity  requires  no 
book-learning  to  have  its  full  effect  on  the  heart.  Happy  in- 
deed are  those  millions  of  humble  Christians,  who,  from  tho 
publiiiation  of  the  Gospel  to  our  own  times,  have  received  the 
doctrnes  of  the  Bible  by  the  simple  means  of  their  Catec'iism, 

*Acts  xvii.  11.         t  L'iko  X.  21 .  t  Tit.  i.  9. 


AGAINST    POPERY.  303 

and  the  instructions  imparted  by  their  Christian  Pastors,  and 
so  ordered  their  lives  as  not  to  wish  those  doctrines  to  be  false! 
How  i^ifinitely  more  happy  is  the  lot  of  these  hiimhle  Chris- 
tians, than  mine!  Afier  spending  my  whole  life  in  reading; 
after  trying,  by  ten  years'  incessant  study,  to  ohtain  a  com- 
plete assurance  that  Christianity  was  a  fable,  and  finding  out, 
at  last,  by  great  attention  and  labor,  that  such  books  as  enga- 
ged to  prove  it,  had  deceived  me;  I  have  to  thank  God  that  by 
his  grace,  I  find  myself,  as  to  Christian  faiih,  upon  a  level  with 
the  humblest  and  most  illiterate  disciple  of  Christ,  who  trusts 
in  his  redeeming  blood  for  salvation. — Yet  the  ways  of  God  are 
Wonderful;  and  it  is  not  presumptuous  to  hope  that  the  bitter 
struggles  of  my  mind  may  be  made  the  means  of  confirming 
the  faith  of  many. 

R.  I  feel  assured  they  will.  Without  flattering  yo*i,  sir,  or 
supposing  that  your  talents  or  knowledge  are  above  the  com- 
mon run  of  gentlemen  of  your  class,  it  stands  to  reason, '  hat 
the  religion,  which,  after  being  so  many  years  an  unbeliever, 
you  have  embraced  so  earnestly,  must  have  a  very  strong  evi- 
dence in  support  of  its  truth. 

A.  So  stron^r,  my  friend,  that  whoever  takes  proper  pains  to 
examine  it,  if  he  really  acknowledge  that  there  is  a  living 
God,  a  Being  wdio  concerns  himself  in  the  moral  conduct  of 
mankind,  will  never  be  at  rest,  till  he  has  either  believed  in 
Christ,  or  succeeded  in  making  himself  completely  blind  and 
careless  on  spiritual  subjects,  allowing  himself  to  be  drifted  by 
the  rapid  stream  of  life,  without  ever  giving  a  thought  to  the 
unknown  shores  on  which  he  is  sure  soon,  very  soon,  to  be 
cast.  The  greatest  part  of  those  who  pretend  to  believe  in  a 
God^  and  yet  reject  the  Gospel  where  it  is  publicly  taught 
without  the  errors  of  Popery,  do  not  mean  by  the  name  of  the 
Deity,  any  thing  like  the  Supreme  Being,  the  living  God,  the 
intelligent  Creator  of  mankind  revealed  in  the  Scriptures;  but 
some  unknown  cause  of  what  we  call  Nature,  to  which  the 
good  or  bad  conduct  of  men  is  equally  .ndifferent.  If  it  were 
not  so,  they  could  never  suppose  that  a  religion  like  the  Chris 
tian,  supported  by  proofs  so  superior  to  those  of  all  the  other 
religions  of  the  world,  so  infinitely  above  them  all  in  the  puri- 
ty of  its  laws,  and  so  effectual  in  allaying  the  storms  of  evil 
passions,  and  bestowing  peace  and  happiness  on  the  breast  th;it 
fairly  gives  it  room  to  act;  it  is  impossible,  I  say,' that  a  man 
who  really  believes  in  an  all-seeing,  and  aii-v,-ise  God,  could  at 
the  same  time  believe  that  religion  equally  a  cheat  vrith  all 
the  other  superstitions  of  the  world;  and  that  it  is  indifferent  to 


304  PRESERVATIVE 

llim,  v/hether  men^  who  can  make  the  comparison,  receive  or 
reject  it.  This  consideration  was,  nty  dear  friend,  my  sheet- 
anchor,  in  tlie  fierce  tempest  of  my  doubt,  which,  for  a  time, 
threatened  to  sink  my  faith  after  my  conversion  to  Protestant 
Christianity.  When  nearly  overcome  by  a  muUitude  of  little 
infidel  arguments  (for  they  are  all  like  a  swarm  of  puny  in- 
sects, and  can  never  form  a  well-connected  band,  as  the  proofs 
of  Christianity  do,)  I  turned,  in  the  anguish  of  my  soul,  to. seek 
for  a  resting  place,  out  of  the  "Rock  of  ages,"  Christ  the  Sa- 
viour. The  view  around  me  was  dismal  indeed;  a  dark  gulph, 
with  small  spots,  every  one  of  which  I  had  tried,  and  found  un- 
able to  support  me,  and  from  which  the  fall,  I  well  knew, 
would  inevitably  plunge  me  into  the  bottomless  abyss  of  Athe- 
ism. It  was  in  this  distress  of  mind  that  I  exclaimed  with  the 
Apostle  Peter,  To  whom  shall  I  go?  and  clung  to  the  cross  of 
Christ. 

ll.  Your  reasons  appear  to  me  very  strong,  and  such,  that 
no  man  who  feels  a  real  concern  for  his  soul,  can  shut  his  eyes 
to  them.  I  clearly  understand  that  a  living  God — a  God  to 
whom  the  man  who  murders,  and  he  who  feeds  the  hungry; 
the  man  who  oppresses,  and  he  that  protects  the  orphan  and 
the  widow;  the  man  who  promotes  virtue  in  his  house  and 
neighborhood,  and  he  who  spreads  vice  and  misery  for  the 
gratification  of  his  brutal  passions,  are  not  equally  acceptable 
or  indifferent;  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  allowed  a  religious 
cheat,  to  appear  so  beautiful  and  desirable  as  true  Christianity 
shews  itself  to  every  honest  and  upright  heart.  But  what  have 
you,  sir,  to  say  to  the  existence  of  so  many  false  religions  as 
there  are  in  the  world?  Would  God  permit  them  to  exist,  to  the 
spiritual  ruin  of  millions  of  men,  if  these  matters  were  of  real 
consequence  in  his  eyes? 

A.  Suppose  yourself  obliged  to  penetrate  through  a  dark 
forest,  full  of  wild  beasts  and  precipices,  and  crossed  by  innu- 
merable paths.  On  the  side  by  which  your  entrance  lies, 
there  stands  the  son  of  the  king  of  the  country,  who  with  the 
greatest  kindness  offers  to  a  great  multitude  of  the  new  comers 
a  little  map,  with  a  clear  view  of  the  paths,  which  he  tells 
them,  must  lead  to  certain  ruin;  while  others  are  distinctly 
marked,  which  if  they  carefully  follow,  he  promises  tj  meet 
them  at  the  other  side  of  the  perilous  wood,  and  make  ^hem 
rich  and  happy  in  his  kingdom.  You  inform  yourself,  by  e  /ery 
possible  means,  of  the  character  of  this  man,  and  find  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  he  is  able  and  willino;  to  fulfil  his  engagements. 
Yet,  upon  obse'^ving  great  crowds  of  men  and  women,  who  are 


AGAINST    POPERY.  305 

allowed  to  enter  with  little  or  no  advice  respecting  their  way, 
you  ratlier  pertly  begin  to  question  the  prince  about  them. 
He  will  nrtj  however,  condescend  to  answer  these  questions, 
but  urges  you  to  avail  yourself  of  his  advire,  and  to  consider 
how  unjust  and  unfeeling  it  is,  v,licn  he  takes  such  pnins  for 
your  safety,  to  question  his  justice  and  benevolence  in  his 
conduct  towards  his  apparently  le3s  favored  subjects.  Sup- 
poscjlastly,  that  your  pride  and  conceit  get  the  better  of  your 
reason,  and  that  you  address  the  prince  in  such  words  as  these* 
"  Sir,  though  I  have  no  reason  to  suspect  your  veracity,  yet 
your  conduct  towards  those  people  whom  I  see  wandering 
without  maps,  about  the  forest,  is  not  at  all  to  my  fancy.  You 
must,  therefore,  either  explain  to  me  every  plan  and  reason 
of  your  government,  or  I  will  throw  this  map  in  your  face,  and 
trust  my  own  endeavors  to  find  my  way  through  the  forest." — 
Would  you  deserve  compassion,  if  this  your  proud  rashness 
carried  you  to  inevitable  perdition? 

R.     Certainly  not:  God  forbid  I  should  ever  act  in  such  an 
ungrateful  manner. 

A.  Yet  this  is  exactly  what  men  do,  who  ol  jcct  to  their 
reception  of  the  Gospel,  that  God  has  not  made  it  equally 
known  to  all  nations  of  the  world.  They,  in  fact,  cast  away 
the  '  pearl  of  great  price,'  because  they  have  been  chosen 
amongst  millions  to  possess  it.  They  see  the  real  and  substan- 
tial value  of  the  gift;  they  cannot  but  believe  that  he  who  puts 
it  into  their  hands,  must  be  infinitely  kind  and  merciful;  but 
still  their  pride  will  prevail,  and  they  had  rather  be  left  to  their ' 
own  ignorance  and  weakness,  than  give  glory  to  God  for  Mhat 
they  themselves  receive,  and  trust  that  his  goodnesj  will,  in 
some  way,  provide  for  his  other  creatures,  and  finally  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness. 

R.  I  only  put  the  question  because  I  have  heard  it  from 
others.  But,  as  to  myself,  I  feel  satisfied  that  every  man's 
duty  is  to  receive  God's  gifts  with  thankfulness,  and  without 
questioning  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  his  government.  I  will, 
however,  before  we  part,  take  the  hberty  to  ask  yuu  why, 
when  you  became  convinced  of  the  irivth  of  the  Gospel,  you 
did  not  return  to  your  parents  and  friends  In  Spain?  Surely 
there  cannot  be  such  difference  between  Romanism  and  Pro- 
testantism., as  to  force  a  man  to  become  a  stranger  and  an  out- 
cast to  his  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  (as  I  believe  you  have 
done)  turn  his  back  upon  all  the  hopes  and  prospects  of  life, 
and  trust  to  chance  for  his  subsistence.  But  perhaps.  Sir, 
you  have  availed  yourself  of  the  libeity  to  marry,  svhich 
2c2 


306  PRESERS^ATrV^E 

Priests  ha\  e  in  this  country,  and  cannot  leave  your  wife  and 
children. 

A.  You  are  mistaken,  my  friend,  in  your  conjecture.  I 
lost  my  health  soon  after  my  arrival  in  this  country,  and  have 
not  had  the  means  of  supporting  a  wife,  in  such  comfort  as 
might  make  her  amends  for  devoting  her  life  to  the  care  of  a 
sickly  hushand.  But  I  do  not  like  to  speak  upon  these  sub- 
jects, more  than  is  absolutely  necessary  to  remove  all  suspicion 
as  to  the  motives  of  my  change  My  voluntary  «xile  has  been 
attended  to  me  with  every  thiLg  that  can  make  me  thankful, 
yet  without  any  circumstance  that  could  bribe  my  will  against 
my  sincerity. — As  to  the  principal  part  of  your  question,!  can 
assure  you  that  the  difference  which  I  find  between  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  the  Protestant  religion,  is  so  great  and  important, 
that  had  there  been  no  Protestantism  in  the  world,  I  cannot 
conceive  how  I  should  be  a  Christian  at  this  moment. 

R.  Do  you  believe  then,  Sir,  that  the  Roman  Catholics  are 
not  Christians? 

A  I  have  known  most  sincere  followers  of  Christ  amongst 
them;  but  am  perfectly  convinced  that  Catholicism,  by  laying 
another  foundation  than  that  which  is  laid,  that  is  Jesus  Christ;* 
by  making  the  Pope,  with  his  church,  if  not  the  author,  cer- 
tainly \\\e  finisher  of  their  faith;  exposes  the  members  of  that 
communion  to  the  most  imminent  danger  from  the  arguments 
of  infidelity.  What  happened  to  me  in  my  youth  is  the  lot  of 
a  great  part  of  the  clergy,  and  the  higher  classes  of  Spain. 
The  lower  classes,  and  those  who  among  the  higher  read  little, 
and  for  that  little  confine  themselves  to  the  books  approved  by 
their  church,  are  fierce  bigots,  who  v*'ould,  if  they  had  it  in 
their  power,  spread  desolation  and  havoc  among  the  nations 
who  do  not  bend  the  knee  before  the  saints  and  relics  of  Rome. 
But,  amongst  such  as  read  and  think  for  themselves,  1  seldom 
found  a  sincere  christian.  By  the  intolerance  which  Catho- 
licism exercises,  wherever  it  is  the  religion  of  the  country, 
those  men  are  forced  to  be  hypocrites;  but  they  are  generally 
so  uneasy  and  restless  under  the  restraint  imposed  on  them  by 
the  threats  of  the  law;  that  a  very  slight  acquaintance  with 
another  unbeliever  will  be  sufficient  to  open  their  hearts  to 
each  other,  and  make  them  attack,  in  private,  with  great  via 
lence  or  levity,  the  most  sacred  mysteries  of  religion.  There 
are  few  practical  observations  of  my  own,  which  I  look  upon 
svith  more  ccnfidence  than  the  direct  tendency  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  religion  to  produce  infidelity.  I  suppose  you  either 
*1  Cor.  iii.  11. 


AGAINST   POPERY.  307 

recollect,  or  have  heard,  the  almost  universal  contempt  in 
which  the  christian  religion  was  held  in  France  during  the 
Revolution.  Now,  had  the  French  people  been  sincere  chris- 
tians, as  they  appeared  just  before  their  revolution  broke  out, 
the}^  could' not  possibly  have  been  changed  in  a  few  months 
into  such  horrible  infidels,  as  that  'there  should  have  been  a 
doubt  in  their  sort  of  parliament,  whether  they  were  or  not  to 
pass  a  law  against  the  belief  in  a  God.  Here,  therefore,  you 
may  observe  the  common  effects  of  Catholicism,  where  it  has 
the  upper  hand.  It  first  disfigures  and  distorts  the  gospel,  so 
as  to  make  it  appear  absurd  and  ridiculous  in  the  eyes  of  men 
Ihat  are  bold  enough  to  use  their  judgments.  Then  it  stops 
their  mouths,  and  makes  their  thoughts  rankle  in  their  hearts, 
-ill  when,  at  last,  some  great  commotion  releases  them  from 
ihe  fears  of  religious  tyranny,  they  abhor  the  very  name  of 
religion,  under  which  they  have  been  forced  to  bow  t©  the 
most  barefaced  impostures  and  vexations;  and  shake  off,  in 
Jespcrate  impiety,  their  allegiance  to  God;  taking  it  to  be  one 
und  the  same  thing  with  the  yoke  so  long  and  heavily  laid  on 
Iheir  n3cks  by  the  Pope  and  his  emissaries. 

R.  You  think,  then,  Sir,  that  a  Protestant  is  safer  from  the 
attacks  of  imidelity  than  a  Roman  Catholic. 

A.  Inconiparably  safer.  I  do  not,  in  matters  of  religion, 
much  like  illusJrfitions  or  comparisons  taken  from  subjects 
which  may  lead  the  mind  to  levity.  But  I  cannot  help  com- 
paring the  question  between  a  Romanist  and  an  Infidel  to  one 
of  the  bets  which  you  call  neck  or  nothing.  As  a  Roman  Cath- 
olic is  bound  to  believe  that  the  Scriptures  would  be  useless 
M'ithout  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope  and  his  church,  he  must 
be  ready  to  cast  off  the  whole  Bible,  as  soon  as  he  shall  be 
obliged  to  confess  that  there  is  the  least  error  in  their  creed. 
The  Romanist  grounds  his  belief  of  the  Bible  on  his  belief  in 
the  Church  of  Rome;  the  Protestant,  on  the  contrary,  grounds 
his  respect  for  the  church  to  which  he  belongs,  on  his  belief 
of  the  Bilile.  The  whole  building  of  religion  has  been  placed 
upside  down  by  the  Romanist, and  the  original  foundations  Veen 
made  to  stand  upon  the  spires  and  pinnacles  of  the  superstruc- 
ture. Knock  one  of  these  down,  and  the  whole  tumbles  to  the 
ground.  It  is  not  so  with  the  Protestant.  He  also  has  a  church, 
but  it  is  a  church  that  leaves  him  free  to  try  her  authority  by 
her  confornaty  with  the  Scriptures.  She  docs  not,  like  Rome, 
teach  her  children  that  nothing  can  be  true  Christianity  but 
what  is  professed  under  her  control;  and  that  Christ  will  not 
acknowledge  as  his  disciples  such  as  learn  his  doctrines  thro' 


308  PRESERVATIVE 

any  other  channel.  A  true  Protestant  Church,  rather  than 
endanger  the  saving  faith  of  her  members,  by  riveting  upon 
their  minds  the  notion  of  no  alternative  between  the  absolute 
rejection  of  Christ,  and  perfect  submission  to  her  own  declara- 
tions; will  sacrifioe  every  view  of  advantage  to  herself,  and 
oven  aflbrd  matter  of  exultation  to  her  implacable  enemies,  the 
Romanists,  by  leaving  her  members  in  perfect  freedom  to  de- 
sert her,  and  choose  their  own  christian  guides.  But  God  has 
rewarded  this  generous  forbearance,  by  appropriating  it  to 
Protestant  churches,  and  especially  to  our  own,  and  making 
them  wear  it,  as  the  badge  by  which  men  can  know  the  true 
flock  of  Christ.  "  By  this,"  says  our  Saviour,  "  shall  all  men 
know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  towards  an- 
other.-'— "  Thanks  be  to  God !  (exclaims  a  pious  and  amiable 
Bishop*  of  our  church,  in  one  of  the  most  eloquent  passages  to 
be  road  in  any  language,)  thanks  be  to  God,  this  mark  of  our 
Saviour  is  in  us,  which  you  (the  Roman  Catholics,)  with  our 
schismatics  and  other  enemies  want.  As  Solomon  found  the 
true  mother  by  her  natural  aflection,  that  chose  rather  to  yield 
to  her  adversary's  plea,  claiming  her  child,!  than  endure  that 
it  should  be  cut  in  pieces;  so  may  it  soon  be  found,  at  this  day, 
wliether  is  the  true  mother,  our's,  that  saith,  give  her  the  liv- 
ing child,  and  kill  him  not;  or  your's,  that  if  she  may  not  have 
it,  is  content  it  may  be  killed,  rather  than  want  of  her  will. — 
'  Alas!  (saith  our's,  even  of  those  that  leave  her)  these  be  my 
children  1  I  have  borne  them  to  Christ  in  Baptism;  I  have 
nourished  them  as  I  could  with  my  own  breasts,  his  Testa- 
ments. I  would  have  brought  them  up  to  man's  estate,  as 
their  free  birth  and  parentage  deserves.     Whether  it  be  their 

*Blphop  Bedell.  He  was  promoted  in  1621,  to  the  see  of  Kilmore,  in 
Ireland.  The  spirit  of  retaliation,  which  the  previous  persecutions  of  Roine 
still  kept  alive,  found  the  greatest  opponent  in  Bishop  Bedell.  His  meekness 
and  universal  charity  had  so  gained  him  the  hearts  of  the  Irish  Roman  Catho- 
lics, that  in  the  rebellion  of  1641,  the  Bishop's  palace  was  the  only  dwelling 
in  the  county  of  Cavan,  which  the  fury  of  the  rebels  respected.  As  that  palace 
was,  however,  the  shelter  of  several  Protestants  whom  the  Papists  had  doomed 
to  die,  the  Bishop,  who  firmly  resisted  the  demands  for  their  surrender,  was 
seize  J  and  can^^^d  away  with  his  whole  family.  The  horrors  which  surround- 
ed hnn  broke  his  heart,  and  he  soon  died.  The  very  rebels,  in  a  large  body, 
accompanied  his  remains  to  the  grave,  over  which  they  fired,  in  honor  to  his 
meaiory. — The  passage  above  quoted  is  from  a  letter  to  a  person  who  had 
turned  Papist.  1  have  copied  it  from  The  Friend,  a  work  of  Mr.  S.  T. 
Coleridge,  which  is  much  less  known  than  its  eloquence,  piety,  and  learn- 
ing deserve. 

I  Read  the  tliird  chapter  of  the  first  book  of  Kings. 


AtJAINST  POPERY.  3C^ 

lightness,  or  discontent,  or  her  enticing  words,  and  gay  shows,* 
they  leave  me;  they  have  found  a  better  mother.  Let  them 
live  yet,  though  in  bondage.  I  shall  have  patience;  I  permit 
the  care  of  them  to  their  Father.  I  beseech  him  to  keep  them, 
that  they  do  no  evil.  If  they  make  their  peace  with  him  I  am 
satisfied:  they  have  not  hurt  me  at  all.'  Nay,  but  saith  your's 
(the  Church  of  Rome)  '  I  sit  alone  as  Queen  and  Mistress  of 
Christ's  family;  he  that  hath  not  me  for  his  mother,  cannot 
have  God  for  his  father.  Mine  therefore  are  these,  either  born 
or  adopted;  and  if  they  will  not  be  mine,  they  shall  be  none.' 
So,  witnout  expecting  Christ's  sentence,  she  cuts  with  the  tem- 
poral sword,  hangs,  burns,  draws  those  that  she  perceives  in- 
clined to  leave  her,  or  have  left  her  already.  So  she  kills  with 
the  spiritual  sword  those  that  submit  not  to  her;  yea  thou- 
sands of  souls,  that  not  only  have  no  means  so  to  do,  but  many 
which  never  so  much  as  have  heard  whether  there  be  a  Pope 
of  Rome,  or  not.  Let  our  Solomon  be  judge  between  them, — 
yea,  judge  you — more  seriously  and  maturely,  not  by  guesses, 
but  by  the  very  mark  of  Christ,  which,  wanting  yourselves, 
you  have  unawares  discovered  in  us:  judge,  I  say,  without 
passion  and  partiality,  according  to  Christ's  word,  which  is  his 
flock,  which  is  his  church.' — Oh,  my  friend,  if  the  deluded 
Protestants,  who  allow  themselves  to  be  entrapped  by  the  cun- 
ning arts  of  Popery,  knew,  as  I  do,  by  a  long  and  sad  experi- 
ence, the  proud,  fierce,  and  tyrannous  spirit  of  the  Church  to 
which  they  submit,  by  their  recognition  of  the  Pope  and  his 
laws ;  they  would  weep  with  more  bitter  tears  than  Esau,  the 
loss  of  that  Christian  liberty,  which  is  the  birth-right  of  every 
one  who  is  born  a  Protestant.  A  true  Roman  Catholic  is  the 
slave  of  the  slaves  of  the  Pope,  the  priesthood,  all  over  the 
world.  If  you  hear  them  talk  loud  and  boldly  in  these  king- 
doms; if  they  appear  to  you  as  free  and  independent  as  other 
men,  they  owe  it  to  the  Protestant  laws,  which  protect  them 
against  the  church  tyranny  to  which  their  religion  binds  them. 
They  owe  it  also  to  the  cunning  system  pursued  by  the  Pope 
himself,  who,  by  allowing  to  them,  in  silence,  this  apparent 
freedom,  acts  like  the  huntsmen  in  India,  who  let  their  tame 
elephants  roam  at  large  in  the  forests,  that  they  may  entice 
the  yet  untamed  and  free  into  the  pitfalls.  No;  trust  them 
not !  Had  I  a  voice  that  could  be  heard  from  r^rth  to  south, 
and  from  east  to  west,  in  these  islands,  I  would  u^e  it  to  warn 

*The  arts  employed  by  the  Church  of  Rome  to  gain  jiroselytes,  and  he» 
jjaudy  and  showy  Church  service. 


310  PRESERVATIVE  A.GAIKST  POPERY. 

every  Protestant  against  the  wiles  of  Rome;  wiles  and  arts  in 
deed,  of  so  subtle  and  disguised  a  nature,  that  I  feel  assured, 
many  of  the  free-born  Britons,  who  are  made  the  instruments 
and  promoters  of  them,  do  not  so  much  as  dream  of  the  snare 
into  v.'hich  they  are  trying  to  decoy  their  countrymen.  Such 
as  believe  that  Popery,  if  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  laws  of 
England,  would  not  most  steadily  aim  at  the  ruin  of  Protestant- 
ism, even  at  the  plain  risk  of  spreading  the  most  rank  infidel 
ity,  should  be  sent  to  learn  the  character  of  that  religion  where 
it  prevails  uncontrolled;  where  I  have  learnt  it  during  five  and 
twenty  years,  in  sincere  submission,  and  for  ten  in  secret  re- 
bellion. Would  you  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  character  and 
spirit  of  that  church  which  the  Roman  Catholics  bind  them 
selves  to  obey,  as  they  hope  for  salvation;  of  that  church,  to 
be  free  from  whose  grasp,  I  deem  my  losses  clear  gain,  and 
my  exile  a  glorious  new  birth  to  the  full  privileges  of  a  man 
and  a  christian — grant  me  another  patient  hearing,  at  your 
own  convenience,  and  you  shall  see  the  Pope's  church,  such 
as  she  is,  and  without  the  disguises  in  which  she  begs  for 
power. 

R.     I  will  hear  you  again,  whenever  you  are  disponed  tc 
speak  on  so  important  a  subject 


DIALOGUE  II. 


OrJRi.-:  aar]  .rue  principles  of  Protestantism;  Calumnies  of  the  Romair\st« 
against  Luther;  Origin  and  Progress  of  the  Spiiitual  Tyranny  of  the  Pope, 
Existence  of  true  Protestants  long  before  Luther;  Persecution  of  tha 
Vaudois  and  Albigenses ;  Right  ISotion  about  the  Church  of  which  we 
speak  in  the  creed. 

Reader.  I  cannot  tell  you,  Sir,  how  anxious  I  have  Ucen 
for  your  return. 

Author.  It  cannot  be  more,  my  good  friend,  than  I  myselt 
have  been  to  come  to  you.  But  as  I  know  that  I  must  be  eith- 
er a  welcome  or  an  unpleasant  visitor,  according  as  people 
dwell  upon  or  reject  the  words  of  my  first  conversation;  I  feel 
some  misgivings  within  me  when  1  approach  them  the  second 
time.  Now,  I  can  tell  you  m  ith  a  certainty,  which  I  do  not  de- 
rive from  any  confidence  in  myself,  but  from  my  experience 
of  the  nature  of  truth,  that  since  you  have  given  some  thought 
to  the  subject  of  our  first  conversation,  you  will  with  God's 
blessing,  bear  with  me  to  the  end  of  our  conferences. 

R.  That  I  will.  Sir,  for  I  love  the  truth  in  all  matters;  and 
much  more  so,  of  course,  in  those  which  concern  my  salvation. 
Now,  I  must  tell  you,  my  head  has  Veen  at  work  upon  things 
that  I  had  never  thought  of  before.  When  I  formerly  met  my 
Roman  Catholic  neighbors,  or  saw  their  chapel,  these  things 
appeared  to  me  as  natural  as  the  large  yew-tree  in  our  church- 
yard, or  the  holly-hedge  before  the  Rector's  house.  There 
they  are ;  and  I  never  troubled  myself  to  know  how  they  came 
there.  But  I  now  say  to  myself,  I  am  a  Protestant;  and  farm- 
er such  a  one  is  a  Roman  Catholic.  The  reason  of  this  I 
Know  to  be,  that  my  father,  and  my  father's  father,  and  so  on, 
were  Protestants,  and  his  Vv'ere  Catholics.  But  v/as  this  al- 
ways so?  How  did  this  great  division  begin  among  christians? 
I  have,  of  course,  heard  of  the  Reformation,  and  of  Luther, 
who,  according  to  a  little  penny  book,  which  is  frequently 
huv/ked  among  the  country  folks,  seems  not  to  have  been  a 
good  man;  for,  it  is  said,  he  himself  declares  that  the  Devii 
taught  him  what  he  M^as  to  write  against  the  Roman  Catholics. 
I  can  hardly  believe   this  to  be  true :  I  wish,  Sir,  you  would 

311 


312  PRESERVATIVE 

set  me  right,  about  the  Protestant  religion,  and  who  it  is  that 
we  Protestants  follow:    Is  it  Luther? 

A.  The  Roman  CaLholics  would  fain  persuade  the  world 
that  Luther  is  the  author  of  our  religion ;  but  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  their  partiality  deceives  them,  and  that  they  do  not  use  a 
deliberate  untruth  out  of  pure  spite.  Such  as  are  really  learn- 
ed among  them,  cannot  but  know  that  Protestants  acknowl 
edge  no  master,  on  religious  points,  but  Christ,  whose  instruc- 
tions they  seek  in  the  inspired  writings  of  his  Apostles  and 
Evangelists,  contained  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is,  howev- 
er, a  great  shame  that  some  learned  men  among  the  Roman 
Catholics,  should  employ  themselves  in  writing  and  sending 
about  such  trash  as  The  confessed  Intimacy  of  Luther  u'ith  Sa- 
tan, when  they  must  know,  m  the  first  place,  that  the  story  is 
a  downright  misrepresentation ;  and  that,  if  Luther  had  really 
been  the  worst  of  men,  (which  is  the  very  reverse  of  the  truth) 
it  would  be  the  same,  with  regard  to  us  Protestants,  as  if  a  thief 
had,  by  some  strange  chance,  put  an  honest  individual  in  the 
way  of  recovering  a  great  fortune,  which  a  cunning  set  of  men 
had  converted  to  their  own  profit.  I  wish  you,  my  friend,  to 
remember  the  comparison  I  have  just  given  you,  whenever 
the  Roman  Catholics,  or  those  writers  of  no  religion,  whom 
they  employ  to  seduce  the  unlearned,  come  to  you  with  sto- 
nes about  the  wickedness  of  the  Reformers,  and  the  vices  of 
Henry  the  Eighth.  Surely,  it  is  nothing  to  us  by  what  instru- 
ments and  what  means  God  was  pleased  to  deliver  us  from 
the  impostures  and  tyranny  of  the  Church  of  Rome,— of  that 
Church,  which,  having  seized  our  rightful  inheritance,  the 
Bible,  doled  it  out  in  bits  and  scraps  to  the  people,  mixed  up 
and  adulterated  with  human  inventions.  It  is  for  them  to  bo 
ashamed  of  the  men  they  reckon  among  their  Popes;  poison- 
ers, adulterers,  and  much  worse  still;  a  fact  which  they  will 
not  venture  to  deny.  It  is  for  them,  I  say,  to  be  ashamed, 
that  they  believe  and  declare  that  such  men  held  the  place  and 
authority  of  Christ  upon  earth;  and  that  all  Roman  Catholics 
are  bound  still  to  believe  their  declarations,  as  if  they  had 
been  given  by  Christ  himself  and  his  Apostles.  We  Protest' 
ants  do  not  receive  revealed  truth  through  su^h  channels.' — 
We  feel  grateful,  indeed,  to  the  Protestant  Reformers,  all  of 
whom,  at  the  risk,  and  many  at  the  expense  of  their  lives, 
roused  the  attention  of  the  Christian  world,  to  the  monstrous 
abuses  which  the  Popes  had  introduced  into  the  Church.  Oui 
Reformers  encouraged  the  world  to  shake  off  the  yoke  of  iron, 
which,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  the  Popes  had  laid  upon  it;  bu* 


AGAINST    POPERY.  313 

did  not  claim  any  authority  over  the  Protestant  Churches,  sim- 
ilar to  that  which  Rome  had  usurped.  The  great  and  essential 
difference  between  the  Romanists  and  ourselves  is  this : — the 
Romish  Church  says  to  all  christians,  "Follow  not  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  m^ ;''' — the  Protestant  Church,  on  the  contrary,  says, 
"Follow  me  as  long  as  I  follow  the  Scriptures."  Now,  if  Sa- 
tan himself  had  directed  us  to  the  pure  fountain  of  Revelation, 
to  the  genuine  word  of  God,  would  it  not  be  our  duty  still  to 
follow  the  Scriptures  in  preference  to  all  human  authorify? 

R.  But  is  there  any  foundation  for  the  story  which  the  Ro- 
man Catholics  are  so  busy  to  spread  among  the  poor  people, 
that  Luther  used  to  converse  with  the  Devil? 

A.  No  other  foundation,  my  friend,  than  the  spite  which  has 
rankled  in  the  hearts  of  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy,  since 
Martin  Luther  opened  the  eyes  of  men  to  their  spiritual  tyran- 
ny. Luther  was  called  by  the  Romanists,  an  instrument  of 
the  devil,  and  all  his  words  were  said  to  be  put  into  his  mouth 
by  the  Prince  of  Darkness.  In  this  manner  they  tried  to 
frighten  the  simple  and  ignorant,  that  they  might  stop  their 
ears  to  the  powerful  arguments  of  the  great  Reformer.  Well, 
then,  said  Luther,  addressing  himself  to  his  calumniators,  the 
Doctors  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  see  if  you  can  answer 
the  reasons  by  which  the  devil  proved  to  me  that  the  Mass  is 
an  idolatrous  and  unscriptural  manner  of  worship;  and  he 
overwhelms  the  said  Doctors  with  unanswerable  reasons  drawn 
from  the  holy  scriptures.  What  better  method  could  he  em- 
ploy to  refute  their  abominable  and  silly  calumny,  than  by 
showing  that  what  the  Romanists  attributed  to  the  devil,  was 
the  true  and  genuine  declaration  of  the  word  of  God  ?  I  have 
carefully  examined  the  works  of  Luther,  and  can  assure  you 
that  what  the  Roman  Catholics  circulate  in  their  peui^y  tracts, 
is  a  most  ungrounded  calumny.  Were  we  mean  enough  to 
retaliate,  we  might  give  a  history  of  their  Popes — a  history 
which  they  cannot  gainsay,  which  v»'ould  prove  many  of  them 
to  have  been,  not  in  communication  with  Satan,  but  possessed 
by  him,  body  and  soul.  I  will,  however,  mention  to  you  one 
of  them,  a  Spaniard  by  birth,  whom  the  Roman  Catholics 
acknowledge  as  the  head  of  their  Church,  and  whom  they  de- 
clare to  have  been  me  representative  of  Christ  upon  earth. 
The  Pope  I  speak  of,  whose  name  is  Alexander  the  Vlth,  had 
four  sons  by  a  concubine,  with  whom  he  lived  many  years. 
The  crimes  he  committed  in  order  to  enrich  his  children,  ex- . 
ceed  those  of  the  most  wicked  heathen  Emperors.  After  a 
life  )f  the  most  diabolical  profligacy,  he  died  of  poison,  which 
2D 


314  PRESERVATIVE 

he  took  by  mistake,  having  prepared  it  for  some  person  who 
stood  in  the  way  of  his  son.  This  happened  only  twelve 
years  before  Luther's  appeal  to  the  Scriptures,  against  a 
church  which  recognized  the  supreme  authority  of  men  like 
Pope  Alexander,  and  blasphemously  called  them  the  Vicars 
of  Christ  upon  earth.  From  this  fact  alone,  you  may  judg« 
on  which  side  the  devil  was  most  likely  to  be. 

R.  Good  heaven,  sir!  have  the  Roman  Catholics  had  such 
monsters  for  their  Popes  ? 

A.  They  have,  indeed,  and  not  a  few. 

R.  And  do  they  bind  themselves  to  obey  any  one  who  mav 
happen  to  be  Pope,  whether  he  be  good  or  wicked? 

A.  They  certainly  do,  in  all  spiritual  matters.  I  will  ex- 
plain to  you  the  whole  Church-system  of  the  Romanists  in  a 
few  words.  The  Pope  is  their  spiritual  king;  and  what  they 
call  their  Church,  that  is,  their  Bishops  all  over  the  world,  is, 
one  may  say,  their  Spiritual  Parliament.  Now,  as  this  Par- 
liament of  Bishops  from  all  parts  of  the  world  cannot  meet 
without  great  difficulty,  and  as  no  one  but  the  Pope  can  call  it 
together,  it  is  the  Pope  alone,  who  in  reality,  holds  supreme 
authority  over  his  spiritual  subjects,  the  Roman  Catholics.  The 
way  in  which  the  Pope  governs  his  churches  all  over  the  world 
is  this :  He  publishes  a  kind  of  Proclamation,  which  they  call 
a  Bull,  and  sends  it  round  to  all  places  where  there  are  Roman 
Catholics.  As  every  Bishop  by  himself,  is  a  subject  of  the 
Pope,  who  calls  himself  the  Bishop  of  Bishops,  the  bull  must 
be  obeyed  by  them.  Every  Bishop  commands  all  his  Priests 
to  see  that  the  orders  of  the  Pope  be  obeyed  by  all  those  who 
are  under  their  charge.  The  priests  preach  the  necessity  of 
complying  w4th  the  orders  of  the  Pope ;  and  when  people  come 
to  get  absolution  of  their  sins,  by  privately  confessing  them, 
they  are  told  that  they  cannot  be  forgiven,  unless  they  obey 
the  Bull  from  Rome.  So,  you  see,  that  if  all  the  world  were 
true  Roman  Catholics,  the  Pope  would  do  what  he  pleased  eve- 
ry where.  Such,  in  fact,  was  the  case  for  many  centuries  be- 
fore the  Reformation.  The  Popes,  in  those  times,  boldly  de- 
clared that  they  had  authority  from  God  to  depose  kings  from 
their  thrones,  and  many  a  fierce  war  has  been  made  in  conse- 
quence of  the  ambition  of  the  Popes,  who  wished  all  christian 
kings  to  recognize  their  authority.  King  John  of  England 
was  obliged  by  the  Pope  to  lay  his  crown  at  the  feet  of  a  Priest 
who  was  sent  to  represent  him.  That  king  was,  moreover, 
made  to  sign  a  public  deed,  by  v»hich  he  surrendered  the 
kingdoms  of  England  and  Ireland  to  the  Pope,  reserving  to 


AGAINST    POrERT.  315 

« 

himself  the  government  of  these  realms  under  the  control  of 
the  Bishops  of  Rome;  and  finally,  as  a  mark  of  subjection, 
bound  himself  to  pay  anannuti?!  tribute.  Tlie  Priest  who  rep- 
resented the  Pope,  took  away  the  crown,  and  kept  it  five  days 
from  the  King,  to  show  that  it  was  in  the  Pope's  power  to  give 
it  back  or  not,  as  he  pleased. 

R.  But  did  not  you  say,  sir,  that  the  Pope  only  claims  au- 
thority in  spiritual  matters,  that  is,  in  things  that  concern  the 
soul? 

A.  Yes;  but  as  the  soul  is  in  the  body,  the  Pope  has  always 
begun  his  spiritual  government  by  things  which  are  corporal 
and  temporal.  The  Pope  used  to  argue  in  this  manner:  "I  am 
the  Vicar  and  Representative  of  Christ  upon  earth,  and  tlie 
souls  of  all  men  are  in  my  charge.  There  is  a  King  in  such 
a  kingdom,  (say  England)  who  will  not  believe  the  doctrines 
which  I  teach.  He  naturally  will  spread  his  own  religious 
views  in  that  country;  and  consequently  it  is  my  spiritual  duty 
to  take  the  crown  off  his  head.  His  subjects  (supposing  them 
true  and  stanch  Roman  Catholics)  are  obliged,  as  they  wish 
to  save  their  souls,  to  obey  my  spiritual  commands.  I  will, 
therefore,  send  a  Bull,  or  Proclamation,  desiring  them  not  to 
acknowledge  for  their  King  a  man,  who,  how  well  soever  he 
may  govern  his  temporal  interests,  is  sure  to  ruin  their  spiritual 
concerns,  and  lead  them  all  to  eternal  perdition.*' 

R.  But  is  it  a  doctrine  of  the  Pope,  that  all  men  who  are 
not  of  his  opinion,  must  be  lost  to  eternity? 

A.  It  is,  indeed.  It  is  an  express  article  of  their  creed 
which  it  is  not  in  their  power  to  deny,  without  being  accursed 
by  their  own  church,  and  ceasing  to  be  Roman  Catholics. 

R.  I  cannot  comprehend  how  the  Christians,  all  over  the 
world,  came  to  believe  that  men  could  not  be  saved  unless  they 
pinned  their  fliith  on  the  Pope  and  his  Church.  I  believe,  sir, 
no  one  doubted  that  point  before  the  Reformation. 

A.  So  the  Roman  Cotholics  give  it  out;  but  the  true  fact  is 
not  so.  You  must  know  that  there  exists  a  very  ancient  and 
numerous  Church,  which  is  called  the  Greek,  which  has  never 
acknowledged  the  Pope.  There  are  also  the  Churches  of  the 
Armenians  and  Ethiopians,  which  were  established  by  the 
Apostles,  or  their  early  successors,  and  have  no  idea  of  the 
necessity  of  submission  to  the  Pope,  m  order  to  be  true  chris- 
tians. Christianity,  indeed,  had  been  long  established  before 
the  Popes  bethought  themselves  of  claiming  spiritual  dominion 
over  all  Christendom.  But  I  svill  tell  you  how  they  accom- 
plished their  usurpation,  aud  vou  will  see  tl  at  the  progress  of 


816  PRESERVATIVE 

their  tyranny  was  perfectly  natural.  If  you  read  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  where  we  have  the  inspired  history  of  the 
first  Christian  Churches,  you  will  find  no  mention  of  any  au- 
thority like  that  which  Rome  claims  for  herself  and  her  head, 
the  Pope.  Rome,  however,  was  at  that  time  the  mistress  ot 
the  world,  which  was  governed  without  control  by  the  Roman 
Emperors.  At  first,  those  Roman  Emperors  made  the  fiercest 
opposition  to  Christianity;  and  the  Christian  Bishops  of  Rome, 
being  persecuted,  and  in  danger  of  their  lives,  had  neither  spirit 
nor  leisure  to  imagine  themselves  superior  to  all  other  Bish- 
ops. But  the  persecutions  ceased ;  and  the  Emperors  them- 
selves becoming  Christians,  the  Bishops  of  Rome  began  to 
think  themselves  entitled  to  be  that  in  the  Church  of  Christ, 
all  over  the  world,  which  the  Emperors  were  in  the  whole 
Roman  state.  It  was  then  that  the  idle  and  ungrounded  re- 
port that  St.  Peter  had  been  Bishop  of  Rome,  grew  up  into  a 
common  belief:  then  it  was  said,  that  the  Popes  were  St.  Pe 
ter's  successors :  that  as  St.  Peter  was  the  Head  of  the  Apos 
ties,  so  the  Pope  was  the  head  of  all  Bishops :  and  that  as  Christ 
had  said  to  St.  Peter,  tna.  he  v/as  a  rock,  on  v/hich  he  would 
build  his  Church,  every  Pope,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  m.ust  al- 
so be  a  rock,  on  which  the  whole  of  Chiistianity  depends.  The 
temporal  power  of  Rome  gave  a  certain  color  to  these  absurd 
fancies ;  for  Rome  was  at  that  time,  to  the  greatest  and  best 
part  of  the  world,  what  London  is  now  to  England  and  all  her 
possessions.  People,  you  know,  attach  ideas  of  superiority  to 
every  thing  that  comes  from  the  capital  town  of  a  great  empire. 
It  happened,  however,  that  not  long  after  the  Popes  had  begun 
to  hold  up  their  heads  in  this  way,  the  whole  Roman  Empire 
was  invaded  by  immense  armies  of  barbarous  people,  who 
broke  in  from  the  North,  where  they  had  till  then  lived  in  the 
fjrests,  unconquered  and  untamed  by  any  human  power.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  centuries  these  barbarians  became  mas- 
ters of  the  Roman  empire.  They  were  all  ignorant  idolaters; 
but  by  mixing  with  christians,  they  were  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity. The  Christian  Religion,  indeed,  though  ever  so  dis- 
figured with  the  errors  of  those  who  profess  it,  is  so  holy,  and 
has  such  power  over  the  soul,  that  the  barbarian  conquerors 
of  Europe  could  not  but  respect  it.  The  Priests  who  worked 
in  their  conversion,  were  in  the  Pope's  interest,  and  took  care 
to  instruct  those  ignorant  men  in  all  the  false  pretences  on 
which  the  Bishops  of  Rome  had  built  their  assumed  superior- 
ity. Every  thing  that  the  Ronian  Priests  said  was  received 
as  Gospel:  for  our  forefathers  (you  should  know  that  we  aro 


AGAINST   POPERY.  31'^ 

all  chiefly  descended  from  those  northern  warriors)  could  nei- 
ther wite  nor  read,  and  were  more  illiterate  than  the  merest 
clown  in  our  own  times.  Thus  things  proceeded  for  ages; 
whilst  error  grew  more  and  more  rooted  as  it  descended  from 
fathei  to  son.  There  were  now  and  then  a  few  men,  who, 
notwithstanding M;he  general  ignorance,  applied  themselves  to 
the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  some  were  bold  enough  to  de- 
clare that  the  Popes  were  usurpers  over  Christian  liberty.  But 
the  pretended  successors  of  St.  Peter  were  not  so  mild  as  that 
holy  Apostle,  who  submitted  to  rebukes*;  but  had  grown  into 
proud  tyrants,  who  commanded  all  Christian  princes  to  put  to 
death  everyone  that  dared  to  contradict  Papal  authority.  Many 
massacres  were  committed  by  order  of  the  Popes,  and  even 
good  men  were  ready  to  dip  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  those 
whom  Rome  had  declared  heretics.  The  spiritual  usurpers 
had  a  great  advantage  in  those  times,  when  the  art  of  printing 
was  unKnown.  Perhaps  you  are  not  aware,  my  friend,  that 
for  ages  of  ages,  the  only  way  that  people  had  to  publish  books 
was  to  get  them  copied  out  by  hand;  so  that  one  hundred  Bi- 
bles could  not  be  procured  under  the  expense  of  seven  thou- 
sand days,  or  nearly  twenty  years'  labor,  which  it  was 
necessary  to  pay  to  the  men  who  lived  by  writing  out  books. 
Consider  then,  the  ignorance  of  the  Scriptures  in  which  the 
mass  of  the  people  must  have  lived,  when  none  but  very 
wealthy  men  could  afford  to  purchase  a  Bible. 

The  Romanists  boast,  to  the  ignorant  and  unlettered,  that 
the  religion  of  Rome  had  been  acknowledged  as  the  only  true 
one  over  all  the  world ;  and  that  it  was  uncontradicted  till  the 
time  of  Luther.  In  this  they  tell  you  what  is  not  a  fact;  but 
observe  besides,  that  the  silence  of  the  Christian  people,  till 
that  period,  is  a  poor  sort  of  approbation,  for  it  is  the  approba- 
tion of  gross  ignorance.  In  proportion  as  knowledge  increased, 
so  complaints  and  protestations  against  Rome  became  more 
frequent.  But  in  every  case  they  were  answered  by  fire  and 
eword.  The  Popish  Clergy  used,  besides,  another  shameful 
trick.  Whenever  there  arose  a  set  of  men  w^ho  opposed  their 
usurpations,  they  published  the  most  infamous  calumnies 
against  their  opponents,  and  charged  them  with  the  grossest 
crimes  of  the  most  filthy  and  disgusting  lust.  _  This  they  did 
in  the  same  manner,  and  on  the  same  ground,  that  the  old 
Pagans  had  done  against  the  primitive  Christians  For  as 
both  the  early  Christians,  and  the  opposers  of  the  tyranny  of 
Rome,  were  obliged  to  avoid  death  by  holding  their  religier/s 
*Sce  St.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Gallatians,  c.  ii. 

2d2 


318 


PRESERVATIVE 


assemblies  in  secret,  their  enemies  made  the  world  believe 
that  they  di(  1  shut  themselves  up  for  vicious  and  infamous  pur- 
poses. This  trick  was  the  more  hateful,  as  the  clergy  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  at  that  very  time,  were  the  most  dissolute 
and  profligate  set  that  ever  lived ;  and  this  I  can  prove  by  the 
confession  of  their  own  writers.  But  Providence  could  not 
allow  this  state  of  things  to  continue  much  longer;  and,  as 
learning  increased,  so  the  opposition  to  Rome  grew  stronger. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  century,  the  numbera  which 
in  various  and  distant  parts  of  Christendom,  stood  up  against 
the  errors  and  tyranny  of  the  Popes,  were  every  day  upon 
the  increase,  and  that  in  spite  of  the  most  fierce  persecution 
on  the  part  of  the  Romanists.  The  very  means  which  were 
employed  against  them,  however,  contributed,  under  God's 
providence,  to  prepare  the  great  defeat  of  the  Papal  See^ 
which  took  place  four  hundred  years  afterwards  by  the  preach- 
ing of  Luther.  As  those  who  opposed  the  corruptions  of  Po- 
pery, were  put  to  death,  or  spoiled  of  their  property,  and 
turned  adrift  upon  the  world,  many  of  them  took  refuge  in 
distant  countries,  such  as  Bulgaria,  Hungary,  and  Bohemia, 
from  whence  their  descendants,  who  had  learned  to  hate  the 
oppression  of  the  Popes,  returned  in  after  times,  and  swelled 
the  number  of  their  opponents.  There  were  also  some  clans 
or  families  of  simple  shepherds,  who,  like  the  highlanders  of 
Scotland,  had  lived  all  along  confined  to  the  valleys  of  the 
mountains  which  separate  France  from  Italy.  They  were  so 
poor,  and  unknown,  that  the  Popes  had  either  been  ignorant  of 
their  existence,  or  thought  it  not  worth  the  trouble  to  teach 
them  their  adulterated  Christianity;  so  that  these  happy  rus- 
tics preserved,  by  means  of  their  poverty  and  simplicity,  the 
doctrines  of  Christ,  such  as  they  had  received  them  from  the 
early  Christian  Missionaries,  who  spread  the  Gospel  before 
the  Popes  had  disfigured  it  with  their  inventions.  Their  de- 
scendants live  to  this  very  day  in  the  same  spot,  and  are 
Protestants,  notwithstanding  the  murders  and  burnings  by 
which  their  sovereigns,  the  kings  of  Sardinia,  strove,  till  very 
lately,  to  make  them  Romanists.  An  English  Clergyman, 
Mhom  I  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing,  visited  those  good  peo- 
ple not  long  ago,  and  found  them  most  excellent  Protestants. 
They  have  their  bishops,  priests,  and  deacons,  and  agree 
with  us  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  every  essential  point  ot 
religious  belief  and  practice.  These  simple,  and  truly  primi- 
tive Christians,  are  known  by  the  name  of  Vaudois. — Well, 
to  n  turn   to   my  narrative:  the   persecuted  opponents  of  the 


AGAINST    POPERY.  319 

iPope  who  returned  from  the  lands  of  their  exile,  having  joined 
with  those  who  remained  concealed  in  Europe,  re-appeared  in 
growing  numbers,  and  were  called  Albigenses.  Pope  Inno- 
cent III.  in  the  year  1198,  despatched  several  priests  with  or- 
ders to  destroy  them  wherever  they  might  be  found.  One  of 
those  who  made  most  havoc  among  them,  is  known  and  wor- 
shipped by  the  Roman  Catholics,  by  the  name  of  St.  Domi- 
nic. He  was  the  founder  of  the  Inquisition,  a  court  of  judo-es 
whose  only  employment  is  to  discover  and  punish  those  who 
reject  the  authority  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  A  large  prov- 
mce  of  France  had  become,  almost  to  a  man,  stanch  oppo- 
scrs  of  Popery.  But  the  Pope  promised  remission  of  all  their 
sins  to  the  King  of  France  and  his  Lords,  if  they  would  join 
to  destroy  his  enemies.  The  horrors  which  the  friends  of  the 
Pope  committed  in  that  war,  exceeds  all  imagination.  You 
may  judge  by  what  happened  on  the  taking  of  a  town  called 
Bezieres.  The  Albigenses  had  shut  up  themselves  in  it, 
though  there  were  also  many  Roman  Catholics  within  its 
walls.  The  Pope's  troops  were  on  the  point  of  storming  it, 
when  the  doubt  occurred  to  the  soldiers,  how  they  weie  to  dis- 
tinguish the  Papists  from  the  Albigenses,  in  order  to  spare  the 
first,  without  letting  the  Pope's  enemies  escape.  A  Priest, 
whom  they  consulted,  answered  them  in  these  words :  Kill 
them  all!  God  will  knoio  his  own.  Upon  hearing  this  the  sol- 
diers entered  the  city,  and  put  to  the  sword  fifteen  thousand 
persons.  The  same  persecution,  though  not  so  fierce,  was 
extended  to  Spain,  and  even  to  England,  where  thirty  Albi- 
genses were  starved  to  death  at  Oxford. 

R.  I  beg  your  pardon.  Sir,  for  interrupting  you;  but  I  am 
longing  to  know  whether  you  believe  that  those  unfortunate 
creatures  were  real  Protestants  like  ourselves. 

A.  They  were  certainly  Protestants  as  far  as  opposition  to 
the  Pope's  tyranny  and  usurpation  over  the  Church  of  Christ 
is  concerned,  though  I  cannot  answer  for  every  point  of  doc- 
trine which  they  held.  But  consider,  my  friend,  the  circum- 
stances of  those  unhappy  Christians.  Their  fathers  had 
grown  up  under  the  dominion  of  the  Popes,  in  an  age  of  uni- 
versal ignorance.  The  Bible  had  been  carefully  kept  from 
them,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  and  dagger  that  they 
could  meet  to  read  some  portions  of  it  which  had  been  transla- 
te(?  into  their  language.  How  then,  could  these  poor  people 
find  out  at  once  the  truth,  and  avoid  all  sorts  of  errors,  without 
competent  and  well-educated  teachers,  and  left,  as  they  were, 
to  grope  for  the  true  Gospel,  not  only  in  the  dark,  but  under  all 


320  PRESERVATIVE 

the  irritation  and  fear  of  a  violent  persecution?  You  see  that 
it  was  impossible.  This  was  only  the  breaking  out,  through 
the  thick  clouds  of  Popery,  of  a  beam  of  light  which  gradually 
increased  till  the  appointed  time  when  Luther  and  the  grea, 
Keformer  of  England,  were  enabled  to  make  a  perfect  sepa- 
ration of  the  truths  contained  in  the  Bible,  from  the  errors  in 
which  the  Church  of  Rome  had  involved  them.  My  object  in 
mentioning  these  facts  is  to  show  you,  that  in  proportion  as 
learning  and  an  acquaintance  with  the  Bible  increased,  the 
opposition  to  the  Pope's  encroachments  grew ;  and  that  the  Pa- 
pal Church  was  not  without  public  opponents,  but  when  igno- 
rance had  overrun  the  world,  and  the  Bible  was  unknown. — 
The  present  Pope  is  so  well  aware  of  this,  that  he  has  publish- 
ed a  Bull  against  the  English  and  Foreign  Bible  Society;  be- 
cause wherever  the  Bible  makes  its  appearance  without  his 
own  notes  and  interpretations,  it  never  fails  to  raise  him  ene- 
mies. Can  that  be  the  only  time  Church  of  God,  whose  great- 
est enemy  is  the  pure  word  of  God  himself? 

R.  Surely  not,  Sir.  But  was  there  no  true  Church  of  God 
from  the  time  that  Popery  began,  till  the  Reformation?  I  re- 
collect to  have  seen  a  Roman  Catholic  tract,  where  it  was  very 
strongly  urged,  that  since  Christ  has  promised  that  the  gates 
of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  his  Church,  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  must  all  along  have  been  in  the  right. 

A.  That  is  a  very  common  argument  of  the  Romanists; 
but  it  has  no  foundation  except  their  ow^n  fancies  about  the 
infallibility  of  the  church.  Our  Saviour  did  not  promise  that 
any  particular  church  should  never  err;  but  that  the  light  ot 
his  Gospel  should  never  be  completely  put  out  by  the  contriv- 
ances and  attacks  of  hell.  Such  is  the  meaning,  you  well  know, 
of  the  v/ords  to  prevail,  or  gain  a  victory.  The  light  of  reve- 
lation was  very  much  dimmed  and  obscured,  before  Luther 
and  the  Reformers  who  established  our  Church.  Others  had, 
long  before  them,  complained  of  the  obscurity,  and  tried,  as 
well  as  they  could,  to  rekindle  it;  but  the  means  of  Providence 
were  not  yet  ready.  Learning  was  very  scarce  till  the  inven- 
tion of  printing  multiplied  all  sorts  of  books,  and  put  the  Bible 
inio  the  hands  of  many.  The  printing-press  had  been  spread- 
ing knowledge  far  and  wide  for  about  sevent}^  years,  when  Lu- 
ther raised  his  voice,  and  the  light  of  the  Gospel  shone  again 
in  its  full  splendor.  The  candle  was  the  same  that  Christ 
had  set  on  the  candlestick;  the  Pope  had  hid  it  under  a  bushel; 
but  Luther,  despising  the  threats  of  the  spiritual  tyrant,  took  it 
out  of  his  keeping,  and  made  it  shine  again  as  free  as  whentbe 


AGAINST    POPERY.  321 

Apostles  held  it  up  to  the  eyes  of  the  world.  Whoevei  atten- 
tively considers  the  state  of  the  Gospel  before  the  Reformation, 
must  be  convinced  that  Luther  was  the  ins.run[>ent  by  which 
Christ  prevented  the  victory  of  Satan  over  his  Church. 

R.  I  am  always  at  a  loss  when  I  would  clearly  understand 
what  is  meant  by  the  Church.  Where  is  that  Church  against 
which  Christ  tells  us  that  Satan  shall  not  prevail? 

A.  Let  me  answer  you  by  a  question,  though  I  fear  it  will 
appear  to  you  rather  out  of  the  way.  Where  is  the  plough 
that  we  pray  God  to  speed? 

R.  Oh,  Sir!  we  do  not  mean  any  particular  plough.  We 
only  pray  God  to  prosper  and  bless  the  labors  of  man  to  pro- 
duce the  staif  of  life. 

A.  Very  well.  Now,  suppose  that  God  had  in  the  Scrip- 
tures promised,  that  evil  should  never  prevail  against  the 
plough.     What  would  you  understand  by  such  words  ? 

R.  I  believe  that  they  would  mean  that  there  should  never 
be  a  famine  over  all  the  world,  or  that  all  the  crops  should 
never  fail  at  once,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  grow  any 
more  grain. 

A.  And  what  would  you  think  if  a  club  of  farmers,  with  a 
rich  man  at  their  head,  had  established  themselves  in  London, 
and  wished  to  have  a  monopoly  of  all  the  corn  on  earth,  say- 
ing to  the  government,  "you  must  go  to  war  to  defend  our 
rights:  for  God  has  said,  that  evil  shall  not  prevail  against 
the  plough; — and  who  can  be  the  plough,  but  the  head  and 
company  of  farmers  of  the  county  of  Middlesex,  wherein 
stands  the  great  city  of  London,  which  is  the  first  city  of  the 
world??' 

R.  I  should  certainly  say  that  thoy  were  a  set  either  of 
madmen  or  rogues,  who  wished  to  levy  a  tax  upon  all  farmers^ 
wherever  they  were. 

A.  I  will  now  leave  you  to  apply  what  we  have  said,  to  the 
use  which  the  Pope  and  his  Cardinals  have  made  of  Christ's 
promise,  that  Satan  should  not  prevail  against  his  Church, 
Church,  in  this  passage,  must  be  understood  in  the  sense  in 
v/hich  we  understand  Plough,  speaking  of  ij^riculture  in  gen- 
eral. It  must  mean  Christianity  in  general,  not  Christianity 
confined  to  the  walls  of  any  town:  the  meaning,  therefore,  of 
Christ's  promise  must  be,  that  the  Devil  shall  never  succeed 
in  abolishinfir  the  faith  in  God  throuo^h  Christ,  which  has 
been  published  in  the  Gospel;  not  that  the  Pope  must  always 
be  in  the  right, — and  much  less  that  he  is  to  be  the  Spir'taal 
Lord  of  all  the  Christians, on  earth. 


322  PRESERVATIVE 

R.  I  can  uiid  3rst.and  very  well,  that  the  promise  of  Christ 
cannot  be  confined  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  But  yet,  Sir,  is 
not  the  Church  of  Rome  the  Catholic  Church ;  and  do  we  not 
say  in  the  Creed,  that  we  believe  in  the  holy  Catholic  Church* 
One  might  suppose  that,  by  these  words,  we  bind  ourselves  to 
believe  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 

A.  The  Romanists,  my  friend,  have  on  that  point,  as  on 
many  others,  taken  an  unfair  advantage,  which  they  employ 
to  seduce  the  simple.  Catholic,  you  must  understand,  is  a 
word  which  means  universal.  Just  at  the  times  when  the 
Apostles,  and  their  immediate  followers,  had  preached  the  Gos- 
pel to  al!  the  world,  their  doctrine  was  Catholic,  that  is  univer- 
sal. Wherever  there  were  Christians,  their  belief  was  the 
same ;  and  as  that  belief  exactly  agreed  with  the  doctrines  of 
the  Apostles,  Catholic,  or  universal  belief,  was  the  same  as 
ti'ue  belief  Errors,  however,  began  very  soon  to  multiply  in 
the  Christian  Churches,  and  these  errors  were  called  heresies, 
which  means,  separations;  because  those  who  set  up  their 
own  conceits  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  separated  them- 
selves from  the  universal  belief,  which  at  that  time  was  the 
true  one.  These  heresies  or  separations  became,  in  course  of 
time,  so  numerous,  that  the  true  Christian  belief  could  no 
longer  be  called  Catholic  or  universal,  with  respect  to  the  num- 
ber of  Christians  who  held  it;  so  that  to  say  I  believe  in  the 
Holy  Catholic  Churchy  was  not  the  same  as  if  one  said,  I  be- 
lieve in  the  true  Church.  You  will,  therefore,  observe  a 
change  on  this  point,  in  the  creed  which  is  used  in  the  Com- 
munion Service — a  creed  which  the  Roman  Catholics  receive, 
and  which  is  about  fifteen  hundred  years  old.  In  that  creed  it 
was  found  necessary  to  add  the  word  Apostolic  to  the  word 
Catholic ;  and  consequently,  we  find  there,  "/  believe  in  one 
Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church:"  which  is  as  much  as  to  say, 
I  believe  that  there  is  spread  over  the  world  a  true  church 
of  Christ,  which  was  known  in  the  beginning  of  Christiani- 
ty, by  its  being  Catholic  or  Universal;  but  which,  since  error 
became  more  general  than  the  true  faith,  must  be  known  by  its 
being  Apostolic.  By  this  5  ou  will  perceive  the  artful  contri- 
vance of  the  Romanists,  who  knowing  that  what  in  the  times 
of  the  Apostles  was  Catholic,  was  therefore  true  Christianity, 
wish  us  to  call  them  Catholics  in  the  same  meaning,  even  after 
Rome  had  made  her  errors  so  common  in  the  world,  that  they 
appeared  at  one  time  to  be  Catholic,  that  is,  universal.  Protes- 
tants, therefore  should  be  aware  of  this  trick,  and  never  call 
them  Catholics f  but  Roman  Catholics,  Romanists,  or  Papists. 


AGAINST  POPERv  323 

fliough  ^s  this  last  name  seems  to  hurt  neir  feelings,  I  seldom 
make  use  of  it  myself,  and  never  with  an  intention  to  offend 
them.  Every  one,  my  friend,  all  over  the  world,  who  holds 
the  pure  doctrine  of  the  A])ostles, — every  Apostolic  Christian 
is  a  true  Catholic, — a  member  of  that  one  true  Church  which 
the  Apostles  made  Catholic  or  universal;  but  which  continued 
being  universal  a  very  short  time.  The  members  of  that  hc' 
retical,  that  is,  particular  Church  of  the  Pope, — that  Church 
of  the  individual  city  of  Home,  cannot  be  Catholic  or  univer- 
sal, except  as  far  as  they  are  Apostolic. 

R.  And  how,  Sir,  are  men  to  judge  what  Christian  churches 
are  Apostolic? 

A.  By  the  words  of  the  Apostles  and  their  Divine  Master, 
which  we  have  in  the  New  Testament. 

R.  But  does  not  the  Church  of  Rome  receive  the  Scrip- 
tures? 

A.  She  does ;  and  so  far  as  she  regulates  her  doctrine  and 
practice  by  that  standard,  we  believe  her  to  be  a  part  of  the 
true  universal  Church  of  Christ.  But  in  regard  of  her  inven- 
tions, whereby  she  has  nearly  made  void  the  spirit  and  power 
of  the  Gospel,  we  are  bound  to  declare  her  a  corrupt  and  he- 
retical Church;  a  church  which  has  degenerated  from  the 
Apostolic  rule  of  faith,  and,  in  proportion  to  the  additions 
v.'hich  out  of  her  own  fancy  she  has  made  the  Gospel,  has 
separated  herself  from  the  one  Catholic,  or  universal  church 
of  Christ;  which  is  that  multitude  of  persons,  of  all  times 
and  countries,  who  being  called  by  the  grace  of  God  to  be- 
lieve in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  have  conformed  and  do  now 
conform,  their  faith  and  lives  to  the  rule  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
ground  their  hopes  of  eternal  salvation  on  the  promises  made 
therein. 

R.  I  believe  you  said.  Sir,  that  the  Church  of  Rome  has 
made  additions  to  the  Gospel  out  of  her  own  fancy:  has  she 
also  made  any  omissions  in  the  articles  of  her  faith? 

A.  No.  It  pleased  Providence  to  preserve  the  whole  of  the 
Christian  faith  in  her  keeping,  without  diminution  or  curtail- 
ment. The  true  Gospel  was  thus  kept  entire  during  the  ages 
of  general  ignorance,  under  the  heap  of  her  superstitions, 
like  live  seeds,  which  want  nothmg  to  spring  up,  but  the  re- 
moval of  some  layer  of  stones  and  rubbish.  Had  she  been 
permitted  to  cast  off  some  of  the  essential  articles  of  the 
Apostolic  doctrine,  as  other  sects  do,  the  work  of  the  Refor- 
mation would  have  been  difficult.  But  when  Luther  and  the 
other  Reformers  had  removed  the  superst^Uous  additions  of 


324  PRESERVATIVE.  \ 

the  Romanists,  the  whole  truth,  as  it  is  in  Christ,  appear- 
ed in  its  original  purity;  and  as  both  Rome  and  the  Pro- 
testant Churches  agree  in  every  thing  which  is  really  a 
part  of  the  Apostolic  doctrine,  we  cannot  be  charged  with 
innovation. 

R.  Yet  they  say  that  ours  is  a  new  religion. 

A.  Any  Pr«>testant  may  rebut  that  charge  with  the  Bible  in 
his  hand.  Tlii:;  New  Testament  is  the  original  charter  of 
Christians;  any  thing  under  the  name  of  Christianity  which 
we  do  not  find  there,  must  be  an  abuse  of  more  modern  date 
than  the  Charter.  The  additions  made  by  the  Church  of 
Rome  are  it  is  true  very  old;  but  the  foundations  over  which 
she  has  built  her  fantastic  structure  must  be  older  still.  That 
foundation,  the  Testament,  is  our  religion,  and  we  do  not  wish 
to  prove  our  religion  older  than  Christ. 

R.  I  wish  you  would  have  the  goodness  to  mention  the  ad- 
ditions and  innovations  which  the  Church  of  Rome  has  made 
to  the  true  and  Scriptural  religion  of  Christ. 

A.  I  will,  with  greal;  pleasure,  in  our  next  conversation 


DIALOGUE  m. 


Conduct  of  tbe  Chumi  of  England  and  of  the  Roman  Catholic  /hurch  com- 
parea;  j' *>' 9  Account  of  the  Innovations  made  by  Rome.  Traaition: 
Transubstantiation :  Confession :  Relics  £ind  Images. 

AutJior.  I  PROMISED,  at  our  last  meeting,  to  give  you  an 
account  of  the  innovations  which  the  Church  of  Rome  has 
made,  and  the  human  additions  by  which  she  has  adulterated 
the  pure  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  But  before  I  begin,  I  must 
ask  your  opinion  upon  a  case  which  I  heard  some  time  ago. 

Reader.     I  will  give  it  you,  Sir,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge. 

A.  The  people  of  two  neighboring  islands,  which  acknowl- 
edged the  authority  of  the  same  Sovereign,  received  each  a 
governor  from  the  metropolis.  One  of  the  Governors  present- 
ed himself  with  his  commission  in  one  hand,  and  with  the  book 
of  the  Colonial  Laws  in  the  other.  "  Gentlemen,"  he  said, 
"  here  is  the  King's  commission,  which  authorizes  me  to  govein 
you  according  to  these  laws.  I  will  direct  my  officers  to  get 
them  printed,  and  every  one  of  you  shall  have  a  copy  in  his 
possession.  If  ever  any  one  of  you  should  think  that  I  am 
stepping  beyond  my  powers,  or  governing  against  the  laws,  he 
may  examine  the  point  and  consult  his  friends  about  it;  and 
if,  after  all,  he  feels  inclined  not  to  be  under  me  any  longer, 
I  will  not  at  all  molest  him  in  his  removal  to  the  neighboring 
island,  carrying  away  every  thing  that  belongs  to  him."  The 
other  Governor  pursued  quite  a  different  course.  He  appeared 
in  the  capital  with  all  the  pomp  and  show  of  a  King.  He  gave 
out,  that  he  had  authority  from  the  Sovereign,  not  only  to 
govern  according  to  the  standing  laws,  but  to  make  new  sta- 
iutes  at  his  will  and  pleasure.  At  the  same  time,  he  employed 
his  officers  to  deprive  the  people  of  all  the  copies  of  the  Coio- 
aial  Laws  that  v/ere  to  be  found,  and  p'ublished  heavy  penal- 
ties against  any  one  who  should  possess  or  read  them  without 
leave,  or  in  a  copy  which  had  not  his  own  interpretation  of 
the  statutes.  Some  high-spirited  individuals  presented  a  peti 
don  to  the  new  Governor,  stating,  "  that  ihey  v-'  ixe  perfectly 
iwilling  and  ready  to  obey  any  one  commissioned  by  their 
King:  but,  still  they  conctived  themselves  entitled  to  possess  a 

3E  325 


326  PRESERVATIVE 

copy  of  the  laws  of  the  country;  that  if  the  Monarch  himnelf 
had  empowered  him  to  make  additional  laws,  they  would  make 
no  objection  to  that,  provided  he  showed  an  authentic  copy  of 
his  commission."  The  Governor  grew  quite  furious  upon 
reading  this  remonstrance,  and  answered  that  he  would  not 
show  any  document  relating  to  his  power  of  making  new  laws 
that  the  king  had  conferred  upon  him  this  privilege,  not  in 
writing,  but  by  a  message;  and,  finally,  that  if  the  petitioners 
did  not  obey  him  in  silence,  he  would  employ  force  against 
them. — "  Do,  Sir,  but  prove  to  us  your  commission  from  the 
King,  and  we  are  ready  to  obey  without  a  murmur." — "  Take 
those  fellows,"  said  the  Governor,  "  and  let  them  die  by  fire." 
The  order  being  executed,  a  number  of  citizens  tried  to  escape 
from  the  island,  but  troops  were  stationed  at  every  port  and 
creek,  and  such  as  were  found  in  the  act  of  getting  away  were, 
without  mercy,  put  to  the  sword  or  confined  to  dungeons,  till 
tJiey  swore  that  they  would  receive  whatever  the  Governor 
commanded,  as  if  it  had  been  a  part  of  the  book  of  the  laws. 
To  complete  the  picture  of  this  Governor,  I  will  tell  you  that 
there  was  not  one  among  the  laws  which  he  added  to  the  writ- 
ten statutes  of  the  colonies,  but  evidently  procured  both  to  him 
and  to  his  officers,  an  increase  of  wealth  and  power. — The 
question  I  wish  you  to  answer  is,  under  which  of  these  two 
Governors  would  you  advise  a  man  to  place  himself? 

R.     I  answer  without  a  doubt, — under  the  first. 

A.  What!  without  any  further  inquiry;  without  examining 
the  book  of  colonial  laws;  without  hearing  the  reason  of  the 
other  governor? 

jR.  If  I  understood  you  rightly,  the  tyrant  Governor  (for  he 
deserves  no  better  name)  does  not  wish  to  settle  the  matter  by 
reasoning:  he  wishes  to  be  believed  on  his  word,  and  puts  to 
death  even  those  who  would  avoid  his  power  by  flight.  He 
must  be  an  imposter, — an  usurper,  who  grounds  his  authority 
on  his  own  word,  and  his  word  on  his  tyranny. 

A.  Oh,  my  friend,  how  justly  you  have  given  }■  our  verdict ! 
The  Pope  is  the  man.  My  parable  applies  literally  to  the 
case  between  the  Roman  Church  and  the  Protestants.  We, 
the  Protestant  Clergy,  declare  to  the  world,  that  our  Bishops, 
Priests,  and  Deacons,  have  no  authority  but  what  the  Scrip- 
tures confer  upon  us,  for  the  instruction  and  edification  of  the 
people.  We  show  them  our  commission  in  the  book  of  God's 
word,  and  leavj  them  to  judge  w^hether  they  are  bound  or  not 
to  listen  to  our  instructions.  If  any  one  wishes  to  leave  us, 
he  is  yt  liberty  to  do  so:  we  use  no  arts, no  compulsion  to  keej> 


AGAINST   POPERY.  327 

any  one  within  the  pale  of  our  church.  To  t!aose  who  remain 
under  our  guidince  we  give  no  other  rule  or  law  but  the  Scrip- 
ture; our  articles  declare  that  nothing  contained  in  them  is  to 
be  believed  on  any  other  consideration,  but  the  clear  warrant 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  But  hear  the  conditions  wliich  the 
Pope  presents  to  mankind :  "  Come  to  me,"  he  says,  "  as  you 
wish  to  be  saved;  for  none  can  escape  the  punishment  of  hell 
who  reject  my  authority."  I  ask  him  for  the  proof  that  God 
has  limited  Salvation,  by  making  it  pass  exclusively  through 
his  hands.  He  answers  me,  that  he  has  received  the  power 
of  interpreting  the  Scriptures,  and  adding  to  them  several 
articles  of  faith:  and  that,  by  virtue  of  that  power,  I  must  be- 
lieve what  he  affirms.  I  rejoin,  that  if  the  Scriptures  said 
that  the  Bishop  of  Rome  and  his  Church  were  to  be  the  infal- 
lible interpreters  of  the  written  word  of  God,  and  that  they 
had  power  to  add  to  the  laws  therein  contained,  I  should  be 
ready  to  obey;  but  since  the  Scriptures  are  silent  upon  a  point 
of  such  importance,  I  will  not  believe  the  Pope,  who  is  the 
party  that  would  gain  by  the  forced  interpretation  of  those 
passages  on  which  he  wishes  to  build  his  power  over  the  whole 
church.  He  now  grows  angry,  and  calls  me  a  heretic,  pro- 
testing that  the  Scripture  is  clear  as  to  his  being  the  head  of 
the  church  and  Vicar  of  Christ.  Are  the  Scriptures  so  clear 
in  favor  of  your  authority,  my  Lord  the  Pope  ?  Why,  then, 
are  you  and  yours  so  alarmed  when  you  see  the  Scriptures  in 
the  hands  of  the  people?  If  your  commission  from  God  is 
clear,  why  do  you  not  allow  every  man,  woman,  and  child  to 
read  it?  Because  (says  the  Pope)  they  are  ignorant. — Igno- 
rant, indeed!  is  the  meanest  child  too  ignorant  to  know  the 
person  whom  his  father  appoints  to  teach  him?  Is  a  stranger 
to  drag  a  child  away  and  keep  him  under  his  control  without 
the  father  saying,  "  this  is  to  be  your  teacher;  I  wish  you  to 
obey  him  like  myself?"  The  only  thing,  in  fict,  which  the 
child  can  perfectly  understand,  is  the  appointment  of  the  per- 
son who  is  to  be  his  tutor:  and  are  we  to  be  told  that  because 
the  mass  of  Christians  are  children  in  knowledge,  they  must 
blindly  believe  the  man  who  presents  himself,  rod  in  nand,  say- 
ing to  them,  "  follow  me,  for  I  have  a  letter  of  your  mther's  ia 
which  he  desires  you  to  be  under  my  command?"  "  Shew  me 
the  letter,"  says  the  Christian.  "You  are  a  silly  babt,"  says 
the  Pope,  "and  must  let  me  explain  the  letter  to  you."  "Yes,"* 
says  the  Christian,  "  but  all  1  want  is  to  see  that  my  father 
mentions  your  name,  and  desires  me  to  obey  you."  "No:" 
is  the  Pope's  answer;  "my  name  is  not  in  the  letter,  but  St, 


328  PRESERVATIVE 

Peter's  name  is  there :  St.  Peter  was  at  Rome,  and  I  am  a- 
Rome,  and  therefore  it  is  clear  that  you  must  obey  me." — 
"But  tell  me,  I  pray  y3u,  my  Lord  the  Pope,  does  the  letter 
say  even  that  St.  Peter  was  ever  at  Rome!"  "No;  but  I  tell 
you  he  was,"  says  the  Holy  Father.  "  Still  another  question: 
is  it  in  the  letter  that  Peter  was  to  govern  all  Christians  more 
than  any  other  of  the  Apostles  as  long  as  he  lived  ?"  "  The 
letter  does  not  say  it,  but  I  do."  "  So  it  seems  that  all  your 
authority  must  depend,  not  upon  any  command  of  my  heavenly 
Father,  but  upon  your  own  word.  If  so,  I  will  not  follow  you; 
but  put  myself  under  instructors  who  will  read  my  Father's 
words  to  me,  without  requiring  from  me  more  than  I  find  there- 
in enjoined."  Plappy,  my  friend,  is  that  Christian  who  can 
speak  thus  out  of  the  Pope's  grasp ;  for  he  is  a  fierce  school- 
master, and  would  tear  the  skin  oft"  any  one's  back  who  should 
not  take  his  word  on  points  relating  to  his  authority.  You 
know  that  I  should  be  made  to  endure  a  lingering  death,  for 
what  I  say  to  you  at  this  moment,  if  the  Pope  or  his  spiritual 
subjects,  could  lay  hold  on  me  in  any  part  of  the  world,  but 
where  Protestants  are  in  a  sufticient  number  to  protect  me. 

R.  I  see,  Sir,  that  the  Pope  is  just  like  the  proud,  usurping 
Governor  you  described.  He  grounds  his  claims  on  his  own 
authority,  and  supports  his  authority  by  the  sword.  But  what 
strikes  me  above  all,  is  his  fear  of  the  Scriptures.  If  the 
Scriptures  were  favorable  to  him,  he  would  not  object  to  their 
free  circulation.  I  believe  you  said  that  the  Pope  had  intro 
duced  many  things  in  the  Church  v,  hich  are  not  to  be  found  in 
the  Scriptures. 

A.  Very  many,  indeed ;  and  what  is  still  more  remarkable, 
not  one  of  which  but  is  decidedly  to  his  own  profit.  Here  again 
the  (comparison  between  the  Pope  and  the  Protestant  clergy  is 
enough  to  decide  any  rational  man  in  doubt  what  Church  to 
follow.  Any  one  who  is  capable  of  making  the  comparison, 
will  clearly  perceive,  that  on  whatever  points  the  Church  of 
Rome  and  the  Protestant  Churches  (especially  ours  of  England) 
agree,  the  Scriptures  are  their  common  foundation.  But  as 
soon  as  they  begin  to  disagree,  the  Church  of  Rome  is  seen 
striving  after  wealth  and  power  in  the  articles  which  she  adds 
to  the  Scriptures,  while  the  Protestant  clergy  evidently  relin- 
quish both  emolument  and  influence,  by  their  refusal  to  follow 
the  Romanists  .beyond  the  authority  of  the  word  of  God.  I 
will  give  you  instances  of  this,  as  I  proceed  in  the  enumeration 
of  the  principal  points  of  difterence. 

Tradition  is  one  of  the  most  essential  subjects  of  dispute  be- 


AGAINST    POPERY.  329 

tween  Protestants  and  Romanists.  The  Romanists  declare 
that  the  Scriptures  alone,  are  not  sufficient  for  Salvation;  but 
that  there  is  the  word  of  God,  by  hearsay,  which  is  superior  to 
the  word  of  God  in  writing.  By  this  hearsay,  for  tradition  is 
nothing  else,  they  assure  the  world  that  the  Scripture  must  be 
explained;  so  that  if  the  Scripture  says  white,  and  tradition 
says  black,  a  Roman  Catholic  is  bound  to  say,  that  white  means 
hlack  in  God's  written  word. 

R.  But,  sir,  bow  can  they  be  sure  of  that  hearsay  or  tra- 
dition? Every  one  knows  how  little  we  can  depend  upon 
reports. 

A.  They  pretend  a  kind  of  perpetual  inspiration,  a  miracu- 
lous knowledge  which  can  distinguish  the  true  from  the  false 
traditions.  The  existence,  however,  of  that  miracle,  people 
must  take  upon  their  assertion. 

R.  And  who  do  they  say  has  that  miraculous  knowledge? 

A.  Their  divines  are  not  well  agreed  about  it.  Some  say 
the  miracle  is  constantly  worked  in  the  Pope;  others  believe 
that  it  does  not  take  place  but  when  the  Pope  and  his  Bishops 
meet  in  council. 

R.  Then,  after  all,  the  Romanists  cannot  be  certain  at  any 
time  that  the  miracle  has  takcM  place.  Would  it  not  be  better 
to  abide  by  the  Scriptures,  and  judge  of  those  hearsays  or  tra- 
ditions by  what' we  certainly  know  to  be  God's  word? 

A,  That  is  exactly  what  we  Protestants  do. 

R.  Yet  one  difficulty  occurs  to  me.  Is  it  not  by  a  kind  of 
hearsay  or  tradition  that  we  know  the  New  Testament  to  have 
been  veally  written  by  the  Apostles  and  Evangelists? 

A,  What  then? 

R.  You  see,  sir,  that  tradition  seems  to  be  a  good  ground  of 
Faith. 

A.  Now  tell  me :  if  you  had  the  title-deeds  of  an  estate, 
which  had  descended  from  father  to  son,  till  they  came  into 
your  possession,  what  would  you  say  to  an  attorney  who  should 
come  to  you  with  a  hearsay,  that  the  ■)riginal  founder  of  the 
estate  had  desired  his  descendants  to  submit  their  lands  and 
chattels  to  the  family  of  the  said  attorney,  that  they  might  keep 
it  and  manage  it  for  ever,  explaining  every  part  of  the  title- 
deeds  according  to  the  traditional  knowledge  of  their  family? 

R.  I  should  be  sure  to  show  him  tiie  way  out  of  my  house, 
without  hearing  another  word  about  his  errand. 

A.  Yet  he  might  say,  your  title-deeds  are  only  known  to  bi 
genuine  by  tradition.  ^ 

R,  Yes,  sir;  but  the  title-deeds  are  somethmg  substantial, 
2e2 


330  PRESERVATIVE 

which  may  be  known  to  be  the  same  which  my  father  receiv- 
ed from  my  grandfather,  and  again  my  grandfather  from  his 
father,  and  so  on;  but  there  is  no  putting  seals  or  marks  on 
flying  words. 

A.  Well,  you  have  answered  mostclcf^ly  one  of  the  strong- 
est arguments  by  which  the  Romanists  endeavor  to  foist  their 
traditions  on  the  world.  As  long  as  the  Christians  who  haa 
received  instructions  from  the  mouth  of  the  Apostles  were 
alive,  St.  Paul,  for  instance,  might  say  to  the  Thessalonians 
^'Hold  the  traditions  which  ye  have  been  taught,  whether  by 
word  or  our  epistle;^''*  because  they  could  be  sure  that  the 
words  they  had  heard  were  St.  PauPs;  but  what  mark  could 
have  been  put  on  these  unwritten  words,  to  distinguish  them 
as  the  true  words  of  the  Apostle,  after  they  had  passed  through 
the  hands  of  three  or  four  generations? 

R.  What  is,  after  all,  the  advantage  which  the  Pope  derives 
from  these  traditions  ? 

A.  They  are  to  him  of  the  most  essential  service.  With- 
out tradition,  his  hands  would  be  tied  up  by  Scripture;  but,  by 
placing  the  Scripture  under  the  control  of  these  hearsays,  the 
Pope  and  his  Church  have  been  able  to  build  up  the  monstrous 
system  of  their  powder  and  ascendancy.  You  know  that  one 
of  the  principal  articles  of  the  Roman  Catholics  is  transub- 
stantiation.  This  article  would  be  searched  for  in  vain  in  the 
Scriptures;  for  though  our  Saviour  said  of  the  bread,  "this  is 
my  body ;"  and  of  the  wine,  "this  is  my  blood,''  the  Apostles 
could  not  understand  these  words  in  a  corporal  sense,  as  if 
Christ  had  said  to  them  that  he  was  holding  himself  in  his  o\vn 
hands.  Consequently,  St.  Paul  did  not  believe  that  the  bread 
and  wine  were  converted  into  the  material  Christ,  by  the 
words  of  consecration;  but  though  he  calls  these  signs  the  com- 
munion of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  he  also  calls  them 
Bread  and  cup.f  The  Romanists,  however,  found  out  that  by 
making  the  people  believe,  that  any  Priest  could  make  Christ 
come  to  his  hands,  by  repeating  a  few  words,  they  should  enjoy 
a  veneration  bordering  upon  worship,  from  the  laity.  But 
how  could  this  be  done  without  the  help  of  tradition  ?  The 
people  were  therefore  told  that  the  Pope  knew  by  tradition, 
that  after  the  words  of  consecration,  every  particle  of  bread 
and  wine  was  converted  into  the  body  and  soul  of  our  Saviour: 
that  if  you  divide  a  consecrated  wafer  J  into  atoms,  every  one 

*  2  Thess.  ii.  15.  t  1  Cor.  x.  16. 

1  The  Roman  Catholics  use  not  coimiion  bread  for  tlio  Sacrament,  biu  a 
wW"-e  wafer  witii  the  figure  of  a  cross  made  upon  it,  by  tlie  mould  in  whicii 


AGAINST   POPERY.  331 

of  those  atoms  contains  a  whole  God  and  man;  and  that  the 
presence  is  so  material,  that  (I  really  shudder  when  I  repeat 
their  most  irreverent  language)  if,  as  it  has  happened  some- 
times, a  mouse  eats  up  part  of  the  consecrated  bread,  it  cer- 
tainly eats  the  body  of  Christ;  and  that,  if  a  person  should  be 
seized  with  sickness,  so  as  to  throw  up  the  contents  of  his  sto- 
mach numediately  after  receiving  the  sacrament,  the  filth 
should  be  gathered  up  carefully  and  kept  upon  the  altar : — this 
I  have  seen  done.  I  could  relate  many  more  absurdities, 
which  would  shock  any  but  a  Roman  Catholic,  to  whom  habit 
has  made  them  familiar.  I  must  not,  however,  give  up  this 
subject  without  pointing  to  the  advantages  which  the  doctrine 
of  Transubstantiation  brings  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Clergy, 
that  you  may  see  the  use  they  make  of  tradition. 

I  have  already  told  to  you  the  superstitious  veneration  which 
tlie  Roman  Catholics  pay  to  their  Priests.  A  Priest,  even 
when  raised  to  that  office  from  the  lowest  of  the  people,  is  en- 
titled to  have  his  hands  kissed  with  the  greatest  reverence  by 
every  one,  even  a  Prince  of  his  communion.  Children  are 
taught  devoutly  to  press  their  innocent  lips  upon  those  hands 
to  which,  as  they  are  told,  the  very  Saviour  of  mankind,  who 
is  in  heaven,  comes  down  daily.  The  laws  of  the  Catholic 
Countries  are,  with  regard  to  Priests,  made  according  to  the 
spirit  of  these  religious  notions: — a  Priest  cannot  be  tried  by 
the  judges  of  the  land  for  even  the  most  horrible  crimes.  Mur- 
ders of  the  most  shocking  nature  have  often  been  perpetrated 
by  priests  in  my  country;  but  I  do  not  recollect  an  instance  of 
their  being  put  to  death,  except  when  the  murdered  person 
was  also  a  Priest.  I  knew  the  sister  of  a  young  lady  who  was 
stabbed  to  the  heart  at  the  door  of  the  church,  where  the  mur- 
derer, who  was  her  confessor,  had,  a  few  minutes  before,  giv- 
en her  absolution !  He  stabbed  her  in  the  presence  of  her 
mother,  to  prevent  the  young  lady's  marriage,  which  was  to 
take  place  that  day.  This  monster  was  allowed  to  live,  because 
he  was  a  Priest. — What  but  the  belief  in  transubstantiation 
could  secure  to  the  clergy  impunity  of  this  kind?  Even  in 
Ireland,  where  the  law  makes  no  difference  between  man  and 
man,  a  Priest  can  take  liberties  with  tile  multitude,  and  exert 
a  despotic  command  over  them,  which  the  natural  spirit  of  the 
Irish  would  not  submit  to  from  the  first  nobleman  in  the  king- 
dom.    For  all  this,  the  Catholic  clergy  have  to  thank  tradition  y 

the  wafer  is  baked.  By  this  means  they  remove  the  appearance  of  b.eatl, 
which  would  be  too  striking  and  visible  an  argument  against  their  doctrine. 


332  PRESERVATITE 

for  without  that  pretended  source  of  Revelation,  it  woud  have 
been  impossible  to  make  whole  nations  believe  that  a  Priest 
(as  they  declare)  can  turn  a  wafer  into  God. 

i2.  Was  it  not  in  the  power  of  the  Reformers  to  have  pre 
served  the  same  veneration  to  themselves,  by  encouraging  the 
belief  in  transubstantiation? 

A.  It  was  so  much  in  their  power,  that  even  after  England 
had  shaken  off  the  authority  of  the  Pope,  many  were  burnt 
alive  for  denying  the  corporal  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Sac- 
rament. The  mass  of  the  people  were  so  blind  and  obstinate 
upon  that  point,  that  not  one  of  the  Protestant  Martyrs  of  the 
reign  of  Queen  Mary,  but  could  have  saved  his  life  by  declar- 
ing in  favor  of  transubstantiation.  Nothing,  indeed,  but  an  al- 
most supernatural  courage,  and  an  apostolic  love  of  revealed 
truth,  could  have  enabled  the  Protestant  clergy  to  oppose  and 
subdue  the  Romanist  doctrine  of  the  Sacrament. 

R.  I  believe,  sir,  that  the  doctrine  you  speak  of,  was  valu- 
able to  the  clergy  in  other  respects. 

A.  It  was,  and  is  still  to  the  Romanist  Priesthood,  a  never- 
failing  source  of  profit.  The  notion  that  they  have  the  power 
of  offering  up  the  whole  living  person  of  Christ,  whenever  they 
perform  mass,  paved  the  way  to  the  doctrine  which  makes  the 
mass  itself  a  repetition  of  the  great  sacrifice  of  Christ  upon  the 
cross.  Under  the  idea  that  the  Priest  w^ho  performs  the  blood- 
less sacrifice,  as  they  call  it,  can  appropriate  the  whole  benefit 
of  it  to  the  individual  whom  he  mentions  in  his  secret  prayer 
before  or  after  consecration,  the  Roman  Catholics  are  eager 
all  over  the  world,  to  purchase  the  benefit  of  masses  for  them- 
selves ;  to  obtain  the  favor  of  Saints,  by  having  the  masses  done 
in  their  praise  j  and  finally,  to  save  the  souls  of  their  friends 
out  of  Purgatory,  by  the  same  mearis. 

R.  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  about  Purgatory ;  but  I  do  not 
3xactly  understand  what  the  doctrine  is  which  the  Romanists 
hold  about  it. 

A.  They  believe  that  there  is  a  place  very  like  hell, 
where  such  souls  as  die,  having  received  absolution  of  their 
sins,  are  made  to  undergo  a  certain  degree  of  punishment; 
like  criminals  who,  being  saved  from  the  gallows,  are  kept  to 
hard  work  as  a  means  of  correction.  There  is  a  strong  mix- 
ture of  a  very  ancient  heresy  in  the  religious  system  of  the 
Catholics,  which  leads  them  to  attribute  to  pain  and  suffering:, 
the  power  of  pleasing  God.  It  was  that  notion  that  first  pro- 
duced the  idea  of  purgatory ;  and  it  is  the  same  notion  that  in- 
duces the  devout  and  sinc^rp.  amnnnr  ^Vinm  "ninrj/^ct  in  hi}]  them 


AGAINST  rorERY.  333 

Beives  with  stripes,  and  flogging,  with  fasts,  and  many  other 
seh-mflicted  penances. 

R.  I  have  heard  that  the  heathen  in  India  do  the  same. 

A.  The  rehgious  practices  of  those  heathen,  and  many 
among  the  Roman  (yathoUcs,  are  remarkably  similar.  But 
we  must  not  lose  sighw  of  the  offspring  of  Roman  Catholic  tra- 
dition, and  the  profitable  account  to  which  the  Church  of  Rome 
has  turned  it  Tradition  alone  must  have  been  brought  to  the 
aid  of  Purgatory.  But  the  doctrine  once  being  received  by 
the  people,  became  a  true  gold  mine  to  the  Pope  and  his  priest- 
hood. This  was  obtained  by  teaching  the  Roman  Catholics, 
that  the  Pope,  as  Vicar  of  Christ,  had  the  pow^r  to  relieve  or 
release  the  souls  in  Purgatory,  by  means  of  what  they  call  in- 
dulgences. These  indulgences  were  made  such  an  open  mar- 
ket of,  throughout  Europe,  before  the  Reformation,  that  kings 
and  governments,  even  such  as  were  stanch  Catholics,  bitter- 
ly complained  that  the  Popes  drained  their  kingdoms  of  money. 
Incalculable  treasures  have  flowed  into  the  lap  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  clergy,  for  which  they  have  to  thank  the  doctrine  of 
Purgatory.  The  reason  is  clear,  the  Pope  knew  too  well  his 
interest,  not  to  tack  the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation  and  the 
Mass  on  that  of  the  souls  in  Purgatory  fire.  If  a  mass,  they 
said,  is  a  repetition  of  the  great  sacrifice  on  the  cross,  and  it  is 
in  the  power  of  the  Priest  to  apply  the  benefit  of  it  to  any  one, 
then,  by  sending  such  a  relief  to  a  soul  in  Purgatory,  that  soul 
has  the  greatest  chance  of  being  set  free  from  those  burning 
flames,  and  of  entering  at  once  into  heaven.  Who  that  believes 
this  doctrine  will  spare  his  pocket  when  he  thinks  that  his 
dearest  relations  are  asking  the  aid  of  a  mass  to  escape  out  of 
the  burning  furnace !  You  will  find,  accordingly,  that  no  Ro- 
man Catholic  who  can  afford  it,  omits  to  pay  as  many  priests  as 
possible  to  say  masses  for  his  deceased  relations  and  friends; 
and  that  the  poor  of  that  persuasion,  both  in  England  and  Ire- 
JLand,  establish  clubs  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  a  fund,  out  of 
which  a  certain  number  of  masses  are  to  be  purchased  for  each 
member  that  dies.  Their  accounts  are  regularly  kept,  and  if 
any  member  dies  without  having  paid  his  subscription,  he  is 
allowed  to  be  tormented  to  the  full  amount  of  his  debt  in  the 
other  world,  where  the  difference  between  rich  and  poor,  ac- 
cording to  these  doctrines,  is  greater  than  in  this  life.  A  rich 
.nan  may  sin  away,  and  settle  his  debt  with  masses ;  the  poor 
must  be  a  beggar  even  at  the  very  gates  of  heaven,  and  trust 
io  hie  savings  properly  kept  and  improved  by  a  club,  or  to  the 


S34  PRESERVATIVE 

charity  of  the  rich,  to  escape  out  of  that  Purgatory  which  you 
may  properly  call  the  Dehtor^s  side  of  hell.  ' 

R.  Perhaps  the  Romanists  will  say  that  God  will  not  allow 
the  rich  people  to  get  off  by  the  great  number  of  masses,  but 
will  give  the  benefit  of  tiiem  to  the  poor. 

A.  So  they  say,  when  the  abusurdity  of  their  doctrine  stares 
them  in  the  face.  But  even  this  contrivance  to  evade  the  dif- 
ficulty objected  to  their  doctrine,  has  been  turned  into  an  in- 
crease of  profit  to  the  clergy.  "Since,"  it  is  said,  "no  man 
can  be  certain  that  one  or  more  masses,  indulgences,  or  any 
of  the  various  Purgatory  bank-bills,  will  be  allowed  to  avail 
the  person  for  whom  they  are  purchased,  it  behoves  those  who 
have  worldly  means  to  repeat  the  remittance  as  often  as  pos- 
sible, that  your  friend  or  yourself  may  at  last  have  his  turn." 
You  see,  therefore,  that  even  the  doubts  which  might  have  en- 
dangered the  sale  of  the  Popish  wares,  are  made  by  an  eflfbrt 
of  ingenuity  to  increase  demand  in  the  market.  Without  the 
fresh  discovery,  that  God  appropriates  to  the  more  deserving 
poor  the  masses  and  indulgences  sent  to  the  wealthy  dead,  a 
mass  or  plenary  indulgence  a  head,  would  be  more  than  suffi- 
cient to  keep  purgatory  empty.  The  case  is  very  different 
when  you  are  acquainted  with  the  doubt  in  which  you  must 
be  left  as  to  the  effect  of  5^our  purchases;  so  that,  if  possible, 
you  must  continue  them  forever. 

JR.  What  do  you  mean  by  indulgences? 

A.  That  wonderful  storehouse  of  knowledge,  Tradition, 
,  has  informed  the  Popes  that  there  is  somewhere  an  infinite 
treasure  of  spiritual  merits,  of  which  they  have  the  key;  so 
that  they  may  give  to  any  one  a  property  in  them,  to  supply 
the  want  of  their  own.  A  man,  for  instance,  has  been  guilty 
of  murder,  adultery,  and  all  the  most  horrid  crimes,  during  a 
long  life ;  but  he  repents  on  his  death-bed ;  the  Priest  gives  him 
absolution,  and  his  soul  goes  to  Purgatory.  There  he  might 
be  for  millions  of  years;  but  if  you  can  procure  him  a  full 
or  plenary  indulgence  from  the  Pope,  or  if  he  obtained  it  before 
death,  all  the  merits  which  he  wanted  are  given  him,  and  he 
flies  direct  to  heaven. 

R.  Sir,  are  you  really  in  earnest. 

A.  You  have  only  to  look  into  the  London  Roman  Catholic 
Directory,  and  will  find  the  appointed  days,  when  every  indi- 
vidual of  that  persuasion  is  empowered  by  the  Pope  to  liber- 
ate one  soul  out  of  Purgatory,  by  means  of  a  plenary  indul- 
gence. These  indulgences  are  sold  in  Spain  by  the  King, 
who  buys  them  from  the  Pope,  and  retails  them  with  great  pro- 


AGAINST  POPERY.  335 

fit.  I  have  tdld  you,  my  friend,  and  will  continue  to  prove  it, 
that  there  is  not  a  doctrine  for  which  the  Church  of  Rome  con- 
tends against  the  protestants,  but  is  a  source  of  profit  or  pow 
er  (which  comes  to  the  same)  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy.  In- 
deed, I  could  fill  volumes  upon  this  subject;  but  time  presses, 
and  I  must  not  omit  saying  a  few  words  about  confession.  Do 
you  not  perceive,  in  an  instant,  that  whoever  has  a  man's 
conscience  in  his  keeping,  must  have  the  whole  man  in  his 
power? 

R.  It  appears  to  me  impossible  to  doubt  it;  and,  in  fact,  the 
better  the  man,  the  more  he  must  be  in  the  power  of  his  priest, 
for  the  Priest  is  his  conscience,  and  the  good  man  is  most  anx- 
ious to  follow  that  which  conscience  suggests. 

A.  Never,  my  good  friend,  was  a  plan  of  usurpation  and 
tyranny  set  up  that  can  equal  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome  in 
boldness.  Her  object  is  to  deprive  men  both  of  their  under- 
standing and  their  will,  and  make  them  blind  tools  of  her  own. 
She  proclaims  that  the  perfection  of  faith  consists  in  reducing 
one''s  mind  to  an  implicit  belief  in  whatever  doctrines  she  holds, 
without  any  examination,  or  with  a  previous  resolution  to  abide 
by  her  decision  whether,  after  examination,  they  appear  to 
you  true  or  false.  She  then  declares  a  renunciation  of  one''s 
conscience  into  the  hands  of  her  Priests,  the  very  heigiit  of 
human  perfection.  Let  those  who  in  England  are  trying  eve- 
ry method  of  disguising  the  Roman  Catholic  doctrine,  shew  a 
single  pious  book  of  common  reputation  in  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church,  which  does  not  make  unlimited  obedience  to  a 
confessor  the  safest  and  most  perfect  way  to  salvation.  No, 
I  should  not  hesitate  to  assert  it  in  the  hearing  of  all  the  world  : 
in  the  same  proportion  as  a  Roman  Catholic  has  an  under- 
standing and  a  will  of  his  own  upon  religious  matters,  or  mat- 
ters connected  in  any  way  with  religion,  in  that  same  degree 
he  acts  against  the  duties  to  which  he  is  bound  by  his  religious 
profession. 

R.  I  do  not  well  understand  the  Romanist  belief  on  the  ne- 
cessity of  confession. 

A.  The  Romanist  Church  makes  the  confession  of  every 
sin  by  thoitght,  word,  and  deed,  necessary  to  receive  ab- 
solution from  a  Priest,  and  teaches  that,  without  absolu- 
tion, when  there  is  a  possibility  of  obtaining  it,  God  will  not 
grant  remission  of  sins.  The  most  sincere  repentance,  ac^ 
cording  to  the  Catholics,  is  not  sufficient  to  save  a  sinner,  witlf 
out  confession  and  absolution,  where  there  is  a  possibility  oi 
applymgto  a  Priest.    On  the  other  hand,  they  assert  that  even 


336  PRESERVATIVE 

imperfect  repentance,  a  sorrow  arising  from  the  fear  of  hell, 
v/hich  they  call  attrition,  will  save  a  sinner  whr  confesses 
and  receives  absolution.  The  evident  object  of  doctrines  so  in 
consistent  with  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Scriptures,  is  no 
doubt,  that  of  making  the  priesthood  absolute  masters  of  the 
people's  consciences.  They  must  some  time  or  other  (every 
Roman  Catholic  is,  indeed,  bound  to  confess  at  least  once  a 
3  ear,  under  pain  of  excommunication)  entrust  a  Priest  with  tb-? 
inmost  secrets  of  their  hearts;  and  this,  under  the  impression 
that  if  any  one  sin  is  suppressed  from  a  sense  of  shame,  abso- 
lution makes  them  guilty  of  sacrilege.  The  effects  of  this 
bondage,  the  reluctance  which  young  people,  especially, 
have  to  overcome,  and  the  frequency  of  their  making  up  their 
minds  to  garble  confession,  in  spite  of  their  belief  that  they  in- 
crease the  number  and  guilt  of  their  sins  by  silence,  are  evils 
which  none  but  a  Roman  Catholic  f^riestcan  be  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with. 

R.  I  thought,  Sir,  that  confession  acted  as  a  check  upon 
men's  consciences,  and  that  it  often  caused  restitution  of  ill  ■ 
gotten  money. 

A.  I  never  hear  that  paltry  plea,  so  frequently  used  by 
Roman  Catholic  writers  in  this  country,  without  indignation. 
It  seems  as  if  they  wished  to  bribe  men's  love  of  money  to  the 
support  of  their  doctrines.  In  a  case  where  the  main  interests 
of  religion  and  morality  are  so  deeply  concerned,  it  is  a  sort  of 
insult  to  hold  up  the  chance  of  recovering  money  through  the 
hands  of  a  Priest,  as  if  to  draw  the  attention  from  the  mon- 
strous evils  which  are  inseparable  from  the  Romanist  confes- 
sion. The  truth  is,  that  restitution  is  not  a  whit  more  probable 
among  Roman  Catholics,  than  among  any  other  denomination 
of  Christians.  There  is  not  a  Protestant  who  does  not  firmly 
believe  the  necessity  of  restitution  in  order  to  obtain  pardon 
from  God.  Though  I  have  lived  only  fifteen  years  in  a  Pro- 
testant country,  the  voluntary  restitution  of  a  sum  of  money  by 
a  poor  person,  whom  the  grace  of  God  had  called  to  a  truly 
christian  course  of  life,  has  happened  within  my  notice.  I 
acted  as  a  Confessor  in  Spain  for  many  years,  and  from  my 
own  experience  can  assure  you,  that  confession  does  not  add 
one  single  chance  of  restitution.  I  believe  on  the  contrary, 
that  the  generality  of  Roman  Catholics  depend  so  much  on  the 
mysterious  power  which  they  attribute  to  the  absolution  of  the 
Priest,  that  they  greatly  neglect  the  conditions  on  which  that 
absolution  is  often  given.  The  Protestant  who  earnestly  and 
sincerely  wishes  for  pardon  from  God,  knows  that  he  cannot 


AGAINST    POPERY.  231 

obtain  it  unless  he  is  equally  earnest  in  his  endeavors  to  make 
restitution  ;  but  when  the  Romanist  has  assured  to  the  Confes- 
sor, that  he  will  try  his  best  to  indemnify  those  he  has  injured, 
the  v/ords  of  absolution  are  to  him  a  sort  of  charm,  that  re- 
moves the  guilt  at  once,  and  consequently  relieves  his  uneasi- 
ness about- restitution.  One  of  the  greatest  evils  of  confession 
is,  that  it  has  changed  the  genuine  repentance  preached  in 
the  Gospel — that  conversion  and  change  of  hfe,  which  is  the 
only  true  external  sign  of  the  remission  of  sins  through  Christ 
—into  a  ceremony  which  silences  remorse  at  the  slight  expense 
of  a  doubtful,  temporary  sorrow  for  past  offences.  As  the  day 
of  confession  approaches  (which,  for  the  greatest  part,  is  hardly 
once  a  year)  the  Romanist  grows  restless  and  gloomy.  He 
mistakes  the  shame  of  a  disgusting  disclosure  for  sincere  le- 
pentance  of  his  sinful  actions.  He,  at  length,  goes  throuo-h 
the  disagreeable  task,  and  feels  relieved.  The  old  score  is 
now  cancelled,  and  he  may  run  into  spiritual  debt  with  a 
lighter  heart.  This  I  know  from  my  own  experience,  both  as 
Confessor  and  as  Penitent.  In  the  same  characters,  and  from 
the  same  experience,  I  can  assure  you  that  the  practice  of  con- 
fession is  exceedingly  injurious  to  the  purity  of  mind  enjoined 
in  the  Scriptures.  "  Filthy  communication "  is  inseparable 
from  the  confessional :  the  Priest,  in  discharge  of  the  duty  im- 
posed on  him  by  his  Church,  is  bound  to  listen  to  the  most  abom- 
inable description  of  all  manner  of  sins.  He  must  inquire  into 
every  circumstance  of  the  most  profligate  course  of  life.  Men 
and  women,  the  young  and  the  old,  the  married  and  the  sin- 
gle, are  bound  to  describe  to  the  Confessor  the  most  secret  ac- 
tions and  thoughts,  w^hich  are  either  sinful  in  themselves,  or 
may  be  so  from  accidental  circumstances.  Consider  the  dan- 
ger to  wliich  the  Priests  themselves  are  exposed — a  danger  so 
imminent,  that  the  Popes  have,  on  two  occasions,  been  obliged 
to  issue  the  most  severe  laws  against  Confessors  who  openly 
attempt  the  seduction  of  their  female  penitents.  1  will  not, 
however,  press  this  subject,  because  it  cannot  be  done  with 
sufficient  delicac3r.  Let  me  conclude  by  observing,  that  no 
invention  of  the  Roman  Church  equals  this,  as  regards  the 
power  it  gives  to  the  Priesthood.  One  of  the  greatest  difficul- 
ties to  establish  a  free  and  rational  government  in  Popish 
countries,  arises  from  the  opposition  which  free  and  equal 
laws  meet  with  from  the  Priests  in  the  confessional.  A  Con- 
fessor can  promote  even  treason  with  safety  in  the  secrecy 
(vhich  protects  his  office.  But  without  alluding  to  political 
fe forms,  the  influence  of  the   King's   Confessors,   when   the 

2F 


338  fRESERVATIVE 

monarch  is  a  pioi:.s  man,  is  known  to  be  so  great  in  Catholic 
countries,  that  when  there  was  a  kind  of  Parliament  in  Arra- 
gon,  a  law  was  made  to  prevent  the  King  from  choosing  his 
own  Priest,  and  the  election  was  reserved  to  the  Parliament 
called  Cortes. 

R.  I  cannot  help  wondering  how  the  Church  of  JRome 
couLd  persuade  men  to  submit  to  such  a  revolting  and  dangerous 
practice  as  that  of  confession. 

A.  This  enormous  abuse  grew  up  gradually  and  impercep- 
tibly, together  with  the  whole  of  the  Romanist  system.  It 
was  the  practice,  in  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Church,  to 
exclude  the  scandalous  sinners  from  public  worship,  till  they 
had  shown  their  repentance  by  confessing  their  misconduct 
before  the  congregation.  This  discipline  was  found,  in  the 
course  of  some  time,  to  be  impracticable ;  and  the  act  of  humil- 
iation, which  at  first  was  required  to  be  public,  was  changed 
into  a  private  acknowledgment  to  the  Bishop,  of  such  sins  only 
as  had  occasioned  the  exclusion  of  the  sinner  from  Church  at 
the  time  of  worship.  The  Bishops,  a  little  after,  began  to  refer 
such  acts  of  public  reconciliation  with  the  Church  to  some  of 
their  Priests.  The  growing  ignorance  of  after  times  made 
people  believe  that  this  act  of  external  reconciliation  was  a  real 
absolution  of  the  moral  guilt  of  sin  ;  and  the  Church  of  Rome, 
with  that  perpetual  watchfulness  by  which  she  has  never  omit- 
ted an  opportunity  of  increasing  her  power,  foisted  upon  the 
Christian  world  what  she  calls  the  Sacrament  of  Penance, 
obliging  her  members,  as  they  wish  for  pardon  of  their  sins,  to 
reveal  them  to  a  Priest. 

R.     Is  there  nothing  in  Scripture  to  support  that  practice  ? 

A.  Nothing  but  the  word  confessbig,  which,  as  you  will 
observe,  means  only,  whenever  it  occurs,  the  acknowledgment 
of  our  sins  before  God  ;  or  that  of  our  mutual  faults  to  our  fel- 
low Christians.  ^'Confess  your  f milts  to  one  another ^^''  says 
St.  James.^  The  Romanist  will  make  us  believe,  that  by  oim 
to  another  the  holy  Apostle  means  confessing  to  the  Priest.— 
By  thus  distorting  the  sense  of  the  Scripture,  and  calling  in 
the  convenient  help  of  their  own  invented  tradition,  they  have 
set  no  limits  to  their  encroachments  upon  the  spiritual  liberty 
of  the  Christian  world.  Their  love  of  power  had,  indeed,  car- 
ried them  so  far,  that  in  enlarging  the  foundations  of  their  in- 
fluence, they  established  some  of  their  doctrines  without  even 
a  w  )rd  in  the  Scriptures  on  which  to  build  their  fanciful  sy£' 

♦  Chap.  iii.  ver.  16 


AGAINST    POPHRY.  339 

ferns.  Did  you  ever  find  any  mention  of  relics  in  the  Bible  : 
or  do  you  recollect  that  it  ever  mentions  images,  but  to  forbid 
the  worshipping  of  them  ? 

R  Certainly  not.  But  do  you  believe,  Sir,  that  relics 
and  images  are  also  instruments  of  power  to  the  Church  of 
Home? 

A.  The  city  of  Kome  has  carried  on,  for  ages,  a  trade  in 
bones,  which,  besides  the  donations  in  money,  made  by  those 
who,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  came  or  sent  thither  to  procure 
them,  has  been  the  cause  of  building  churches,  with  large  en- 
dowments fo."  the  clergy,  in  almost  every  province  in  Chris- 
tendom. 

R.  But  vtere  those  bones  really  from  the  bodies  of  the 
Saints,  whose  names  they  gave  to  them  ? 

A.  Nothing  can  equal  the  impudence  with  which  the  bones 
really  taken  out  of  the  public  burial  grounds,  where  the  ancient 
Romans  buried  their  slaves,  have  been  sent  about  under  the 
names  of  all  the  Martyrs,  Confessors,  and  Virgins,  mentioned 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  legends.  The  Pope  claims  the  power 
of  what  is  called  christening  relics,  and  the  devout  Romanists 
believe,  that  when  their  Holy  Father  has  thus  given  a  name 
to  a  skull  or  a  thigh-bone,  it  is  equally  valuable,  as  if  it  had 
been  taken  from  the  body  of  their  favorite  Saint.  They  are 
not  generally  aware  that  what  is  thus  christened  is  proba- 
bly part  of  the  skeleton  of  some  ancient  heathen.  But  to  give 
you  an  idea  of  the  credulity  which  the  Popes  have  encouraged 
on  this  point,  I  have  seen  the  treasury  of  relics  which  belongs 
to  the  kings  of  Spain ;  where  the  Monk  who  keeps  it,  shows  to 
all  who  visit  the  Church  of  the  Escurial,  near  Madrid,  the 
whole  body,  as  it  is  pretended,  of  one  of  the  children  who  were 
put  to  death  by  Herod.  But  there  is  still  a  more  monstrous 
piece  of  impudence  in  the  same  exhibition.  A  glass  vial,  set  in 
gold,  is  shown,  with  some  milk  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  These  and 
a  hundred  other  such  relics  are  presented  to  be  worshipped  by 
the  people ;  all  duly  certified  by  the  Pope  or  his  ministers. 
At  the  Cathedral  at  Seville,  the  town  where  I  was  born,  there 
is,  among  other  relics,  one  of  the  teeth  of  Christopher,  a  Saint 
who  is  said  to  have  been  a  giant.  The  tooth  was  procured 
from  Rome,  and  is  to  be  seen  in  a  silver  and  glass  casket, 
through  which  the  holy  relic  may  be  admired  by  the  worship- 
pers. It  is  clear,  however,  that  the  tooth  before  which  the 
Pope  allows  his  spiritual  children  to  kneel,  belonged  to  a  huge 
minimal  of  the  elephant  kind.  These  impositions  have  been  at 
all  times  carried  on  so  carelessly  by  the  Romish  Priestt  ood. 


340  PRESERVATIVE 

that  it  was  necessary,  in  some  cases,  to  declare  that  the  bodiet 
of  some  Saints  had  been  miraculously  multiplied  ;  else  peo 
pie  would  have  discovered  the  fraud  by  finding  the  same 
Saint  at  different  places.  The  Priests  themselves  are  often 
aware  of  these  absurdities;  but  they  must  bow  their  heads 
in  silence.  I  will,  however,  tell  you  a  good  joke  of  a  French 
Priest  of  high  rank,  who,  having  no  religion  himself,  as  it 
often  happens  to  those  of  his  profession  in  Roman  Catholic 
countries,  submitted  quietly  to  the  established  superstition, 
though  he  would  now  and  then  give  vent  to  a  humorous  sneer. 
He  had  been  travelling  in  Italy,  and  in  the  Catholic  parts  of 
Germany,  where  the  collection  of  relics,  kept  in  every  great 
Church,  had  been  boastingly  displayed  to  him.  The  Priests 
of  a  famous  abbey  in  France  were  doing  the  same,  when, 
among  other  wonders,  "  here,"  they  said  to  the  traveller,  "  is 
the  head  of  John  the  Baptist." — "  Praised  be  Heaven  !"  an- 
swered the  waggish  Priest,  "  this  is  the  third  head  of  the  holy 
Baptist  which  I  have  been  happy  enough  to  hold  in  my  hands." 

R.    I  hope  the  jolly  Priest  did  not  pay  dear  for  his  wit. 

A.  It  would  have  been  a  serious  matter  in  Spain ;  but  there 
has  always  existed  a  very  strong  party  of  distinguished  infidels 
in  France,  where  the  Pope  never  succeeded  in  his  attempts 
to  establish  the  Inquisition,  The  consequence  was,  that  the 
Priests  were  greatly  checked  by  the  general  laugh  which 
was  often  raised  against  them.  He  that  would  know  genu- 
ine Popery  must  go  to  Spain — the  country  where  it  has  been 
allowed  to  grow  and  unfold  itself  into  full  size.  There  you 
would  see  all  the  engines  of  Rome  at  work,  and  perfectly  un- 
derstand the  true  and  original  object  of  her  inventions.  To 
show  you  at  one  glance  the  benefit  derived  by  the  Priests  from 
image  worship,  I  will  tell  you  what  happened  at  Madrid,  dur- 
ing a  residence  of  three  years,  which  I  made  in  that  most 
Catholic  capital.  In  one  of  the  meanest  parts  of  the  town 
the  ragged  children,  who  are  always  running  about  the  streets, 
found  an  old  picture,  which  had  been  thrown,  with  other 
rubbish,  upon  a  dunghill.  Not  knowing  what  the  picture 
was,  they  tied  it  to  a  piece  of  rope,  and  were  dragging  it 
about,  when  an  old  woman  in  the  neighborhood,  looked  at 
the  canvass,  and  found  upon  it  the  head  of  a  Virgin  Mary. 
Her  screams  of  horror  at  the  profanation  which  she  beheld 
scared  away  the  children,  and  thf.  old  woman  w^as  left  in  pos- 
session of  the  treasure.  The  gossips  of  the  neighborhood 
were  anxious  to  make  some  amends  to  the  picture  for  the  past 
neglect  and  ill-treatment,  and  they  all  contributed  towards  the 


AGAINST   POPERY.  341 

expense  of  burning  a  lamp,  day  and  night,  before  it,  in  the  old 

woman's  house.  A  priest,  getting  scent  of  what  was  going 
on,  took  the  scratched  Virgin  under  his  patronage,  framed  the 
canvass,  and  added  another  light.  All  the  rich  folks  who 
heard  of  this  new-found  image,  came  to  pray  before  it,  and 
gave  something  to  the  Priest  and  the  old  woman,  v/ho  were  now 
in  close  partnership.  In  a  very  short  time  the  amount  of  the 
daily  donations  enabled  the  joint  proprietors  of  the  picture  to 
build  a  fir.e  chapel,  with  a  comfortable  house  adjoining  it  for 
themselves.  The  chapel  was  crowded  from  morning  till 
night ;  not  a  female,  high  or  low,  but  firmly  believed  that  her 
life  and  safety  depended  upon  the  favor  of  that  particular 
picture  :  the  rich  endeavored  to  obtain  it  by  large  sums  of 
money  for  masses  to  be  performed,  and  candles  to  be  burnt  be- 
fore it,  and  the  poor  stinted  their  necessary  food  to  throw  a 
mite  into  the  box  which  hung  at  the  door  of  the  chapel.  I  do 
not  relate  to  j^ou  old  stories  ;  I  state  what  I  myself  have  seen. 
Yet,  what  happened  at  Madrid,  under  my  own  eyes,  had  con- 
stantly taken  place  in  the  Popish  kingdoms  of  Europe,  till  the 
Reformation  gave  a  check  to  the  Romanist  Priesthood.  There 
is  scarcely  a  town  or  a  village  of  some  note  in  Europe  but  had  a 
rich  sanctuary,  where  Monks  lived,  mostly  in  vice  and  idle- 
ness, at  the  expense  of  the  neighborhood.  The  origin  of 
these  places  was  perfectly  similar  everywhere ;  a  shepherd 
found  an  image  of  the  Virgin  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  (most 
assuredly  placed  there  on  purpose  to  be  thus  found ;)  an  old 
woman  drew  another  from  the  bottom  of  a  well ;  a  stranger 
had  asked  for  lodgings  for  a  night  at  a  cottage — he  was  not  to 
be  found  in  the  morning  ;  but,  on  searching  the  room  where 
he  slept,  a  small  Virgin  Mary  was  discovered.  The  nearest 
Bishop  was  sure  to  come  with  his  Priests,  holding  lighted 
tapers,  and  carry  such  images  in  procession  to  his  church  ;  and 
declare  that  they  had  been  miraculously  sent  to  the  faithful ! 
Those  found  in  the  tree  and  well  had  fallen  from  heaven  :  the 
vanished  stranger  was  an  angel,  who  had  carved  the  image 
during  the  night. 

R.  Such  images  put  me  in  mind  of  what  is  said,  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  about  the  great  Diana  oi  the  Ephesians, 
which  had  fallen  from  heaven,  and  for  the  sake  of  which  the 
people  made  a  riot,  in  which  they  would  have  murdered  Saint 
Paul.=^ 

A.  The  Church  of  Rome  has  so  closely  copied  the  idola- 
trous superstitions  of  the  Pagans,   that  all  persons  not  Winded 

*  Acts  XLX,  3jf 

2f2 


o42  PRESERVATIVE 

by  the  fanadc  zeal  of  that  Church,  are  struck  with  the  great 
similarity.  Their  lighted  candles,  their  frankincense,  images 
from  heaven,  many  ceremonies  of  their  mass,  many  forms  o( 
their  private  worship,  are  just  the  same  as  formed  a  part  of  the 
service  done  formerly  to  the  idols  of  the  heathens.  Even  the 
manner  of  acknowledging  the  pretended  miracles  by  hanging 
up  in  the  temples  little  figures  of  wax,  or  pictures  representing 
the  part  of  the  body  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  supernat 
urally  healed,  or  the  accident  from  which  the  person  escaped, 
is  constantly  practised,  wherever  the  Pope  alone  directs  his 
flock,  without  fearing  a  laugh  from  Protestant  neighbors.  If 
the  figures  acknowledging  miracles  performed  by  images 
throughout  the  realms  of  Popery,  were  to  be  reckoned,  the 
miracles  would  amount  to  some  hundreds  a  day. 

R.    But  how  can  people  believe  in  such  a  number  of  mir 
acles  ? 

A.  The  Church  of  Rome,  my  friend,  is  like  a  large  and 
showy  quack-medicine  shop.  There  is  not  a  disease,  not  an 
evil,  for  which  the  Pope  has  not  a  labelled  Saint.  People, 
when  in  fear  or  actual  suffering,  are  apt  to  receive  a  certain 
relief  from  hope.  You  have  only  to  say,  try  this  or  that  med- 
icine, and  you  will  see  the  patient's  eyes  lighted  up,  like  the 
poor  man  who  has  a  kind  of  foretaste  of  riches  from  the  mo- 
ment he  purchases  a  lottery  ticket.  The  Pope's  spiritual 
quack-medicines  are  to  be  applied  without  doubt  or  hesita- 
tion, and  not  to  be  given  up  in  despair ;  all  you  are  allowed 
is  to  add  some  new  Saint  to  your  former  patron.  Well,  a  poor 
creature  is  writhing  with  the  tooth-ache  ;  he  goes  to  the  Pope's 
shop,  and  finds  that  Saint  Apollonia  had  all  her  teeth  pulled 
out,  and  therefore  takes  pity  on  those  who  suffer  in  a  similar 
way.  He  prays,  buys  a  print  of  the  Saint,  and  lights  up  a 
candle  before  it.  If  the  pain  goes  o^,  Saint  Apollonia  cured 
him  ;  if  at  last  the  tooth  is  drawn,  Saint  Apollonia  blunted  the 
pain  of  the  operation.  So  it  is  with  every  disease,  with  every 
undertaking, — a  journey,  a  speculation;  even  the  most  sinful 
and  wicked  actions  are  often  commended  by  the  lower  classes 
of  Roman  Catholics  to  the  care  of  their  patron  Saint.  Of 
this  I  have  the  most  positive  certainty.  Miracles  being  thuf 
expected  at  all  times,  and  means  supposed  to  possess  a  supei- 
natural  virtue,  being  constantly  used,  under  the  idea  that  the 
most  efl^ectual  way  of  receiving  the  looked-for  benefit  is  a 
strong  persuasion  of  tieir  efficacy,  and  a  rejection  of  all  doubt, 
which,  they  believe,  :»fl^ends  the  implored  Saint ;  every  acci- 
dent is  construed  into  i  wonder  •  the  failures  are  attributed  to 


AGAINST    POPERr.  343 

i  want  of  fa?th,  and  the  success,  either  complete  or  partial, 
-vhich  would  have  infallibly  taken  place  in  the  natural  course 
of  things,  is  confidently  proclaimed  as  a  display  of  supernat- 
ural power.  Add  to  this,  that  there  is  a  very  common  feel- 
ing among  the  Roman  Catholics,  of  the  same  kind  as  that 
which  anticipates  thanks  for  the  sake  of  securing  favor. — 
They,  in  fact,  give  credit  to  their  Saints  beyond  what  they 
really  believe,  and  flatter  them  by  public  acknowledgments, 
which  they  mean  as  a  beforehand  payment,  which,  in  common 
honesty,  must  bind  the  receiver  to  complete  the  work.  All 
this  is  done,  not  with  an  intent  to  deceive,  but  from  that  utter 
weakness  of  mind  which  a  man  cannot  fail  to  contract,  when 
brought  up  under  a  complete  system  of  quackery,  either  spir- 
itual or  temporal ;  a  system  which  encourages  all  sorts  of  fears, 
to  ensure  the  sale  of  imaginary  remedies  against  them. 

R.  Do  you  think.  Sir,  that  all  Roman  Catholics  are  in  such 
a  state  of  mind  ? 

A.  By  no  means.  There  are  various  circumstances  which 
make  individual  minds  resist,  more  or  less,  the  influence  of 
their  Church.  But  this  I  can  assure  you  before'  the  whole 
world,  that  whoever  submits  entirely  to  the  guidance  of  Rome, 
must  become  a  weak,  superstitious  being,  unless  his  natural 
temper  should  dispose  him  to  join  with  superstition  the  violence 
and  persecuting  spirit  of  the  bitterest  bigotry. 

R.  If  you  can  prove  what  you  so  broadly  assert,  I  shall  in- 
fer, that  while  the  Roman  Catholics  uphold  their  Church  for 
the  sake  of  possessing  an  unerring  guide,  and  thus  having  a 
decided  advantage  over  the  Protestant  Churches,  who  allow 
their  members  to  exercise  their  judgment  upon  religious 
matters ;  it  is  only  individual  judgment  and  natural  good 
sense  that  make  Romanism  assume  a  decent  appearance 
among  us. 

A.  Keep  to  your  inference  till  we  can  renew  this  conversa- 
tion, when  I  trust  I  shall  satisfy  you  that  it  is  supported  by  the 
most  undeniable  facts.  Remember  that  I  undertake  to  prove, 
that  the  Church  of  Rome  leads  her  members  into  the  most 
abject  and  lamentable  superstition,  cruelty,  and  bigotry ;  that 
she  keeps  her  subjects  in  bondage  by  the  most  tyrannical 
means;  and  that  she  is  always  ready  to  force  men  into  sub- 
jection to  her  authority,  in  the  same  measure  as  chey  are  off 
their  guard  to  resist  hex  cncroachmenis. 


DIALOGUE  IV. 


jBuperstitious  Character  of  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  her  Doctrine  on  Penance  ; 
Apostolic  Doctrine  of  Justification  ;  Effects  of  Celibacy  and  ReligiouB 
Vows  ;  persecuting  Spirit  of  Eomanism. 

Author.  I  COME  prepared  to  describe  to  you  the  character 
of  the  Church  of  Rome :  and  in  the  first  place  I  am  to  prove 
that  she  exerts  her  whole  power  in  making  her  members 
superstitious.  I  must,  however,  ask  you,  before  I  proceed, 
whether  you  have  a  clear  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  the  word 
superstitious. 

Reader.  I  believe  I  have  a  tolerably  good  notion  of  it ;  but 
to  say  the  truth,  I  should  be  at  a  loss  to  state  clearly  what  I 
understand  by  that  word. 

A.  My  notion  of  it  may  be  expressed  thus :  superstition 
consists  in  credulity,  hopes,  and  fears,  about  invisible  and 
supernatural  things,  upon  fanciful  and  slight  grounds.  We 
call  that  man  superstitious  who  is  ready  to  believe  any  idle 
story  of  ghosts  and  witches  ;  who  nails  a  horse-shoe  upon  the 
ship  or  barn,  which  he  hopes,  by  that  means,  to  preserve  in 
safety ;  and  dreads  evil  consequences  from  going  out  of  doors 
the  first  time  in  the  morning,  with  his  left  foot  foremost. 

jR.  Does  the  Church  of  Rome  encourage  superstitions  of 
this  kind  ? 

A.  She  certainly  encourages  the  same  state  of  mind, 
though  not  exactly  upon  the  same  things.  Every  church  may 
be  compared  to  a  great  school  or  establishment  for  religious 
education.  I  will  represent  to  you  a  pupil  of  that  school,  that 
you  m.ay  infer  what  is  taught  in  it,  and  I  will  draw  the  picture 
from  various  Roman  Catholics  whom  I  have  intimately  known. 
Imagine  my  Romanist  friend  retiring  to  his  bed  in  the  night. — 
The  walls  of  the  room  are  covered  with  pictures  of  all  sizes- 
Upon  a  table  there  is  a  wooden  or  brass  figure  of  our  Saviour 
nailed  to  the  cross,  with  two  wax  candles,  ready  to  be  lighted 
at  each  side.  Our  Romanist  carefully  locks  the  door ;  lights 
up  the  candles,  kneels  before  the  cross,  and  beats  his  breast 
with  his  clenched  right  hand,  till  it  rings  again  in  a  hollow 
sound.     It  is  probably  a  Friday,  a  day  of  penance ;  the  good 

344 


AGAINST    POPERY.  345 

man  looks  pale  and  weak.  I  know  the  reason  —  he  has  made 
but  one  meal  on  that  day,  and  that  on  fish  ;  had  he  tasted 
meat,  he  feels  assured  he  should  have  subjected  his  soul  to  the 
pains  of  hell.  But  the  mortifications  of  the  day  are  not  over. 
He  unlocks  a  small  cupboard,  and  takes  out  a  skull,  which  he 
kisses  and  places  upon  the  table  at  the  foot  of  the  crucifix.  He 
then  strips  off  part  of  his  clothes,  and  with  a  scourge,  composed 
of  small  twisted  ropes  hardened  with  wax,  lays  stoutly  to  the 
right  and  left,  till  his  bare  skin  is  ready  to  burst  with  accumu- 
lated blood.  The  discipline,  as  it  is  called,  being  over,  he 
mutters  several  prayers,  turning  to  every  picture  in  the  room.' 
He  then  rises  to  go  to  bed  ;  but  before  he  ventures  into  it,  he 
puts  his  finger  into  a  little  cup  which  hangs  at  a  short  distance 
over  his  pillow,  and  sprinkles,  with  the  fluid  it  contains,  the  bed 
and  the  room  in  various  directions,  and  finally  moistens  his 
forehead  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  The  cup,  you  must  know, 
contains  holy  water — water  in  which  a  priest  has  put  some 
salt,  making  over  it  the  sign  of  the  cross  several  times,  and 
saying  some  prayers,  which  the  Church  of  Rome  has  inserted 
for  this  purpose  in  the  mass-book.  The  use  of  that  water,  as 
our  Roman  Catholic  has  been  taught  to  believe,  is  to  prevent 
the  devil  from  approaching  the  places  and  things  which  have 
been  recently  sprinkled  with  it ;  and  he  does  not  feel  himself 
safe  in  his  bed  without  the  precaution  which  I  have  described. 
The  holy  water  has,  besides,  an  internal  and  spiritual  power 
of  washing  away  venial  sins — those  slight  sins,  I  mean,  which, 
according  to  the  Romanist,  if  unrepented,  or  unwashed  away 
by  holy  water,  or  the  sign  of  the  cross  made  by  the  hand  of  a 
bishop,  or  some  other  five  or  six  methods,  which  I  will  not 
trouble  you  with,  will  keep  the  venial  sinner  in  Purgatory  for 
a  certain  time.  The  operations  of  the  devout  Roman  Catholic 
are  probably  not  yet  done.  On  the  other  side  of  the  holy- 
water  cup,  there  hangs  a  frame  holding  a  large  cake  of  wax, 
with  figures  raised  by  a  mould,  not  unlike  a  large  butter-pat. 
It  is  an  Agnus  Dei,  blest  by  the  Pope,  which  is  not  to  be  had 
except  it  can  be  imported  from  Rome.  I  believe  the  wax  i8 
kneaded  with  some  earth  from  the  place  where  the  bones  of 
the  supposed  Martyrs  are  dug  up.  Whoever  possesses  one 
of  these  spiritual  treasures,  enjoys  the  benefit  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  indulgences  ;  for  each  kiss  impressed  on  the  wax 
gives  him  the  whole  value  of  fifty  or  one  hundred  days  eni' 
ployed  in  doing  penance  and  good  works  ;  the  amount  ot  which 
is  to  be  struck  off  the  debt  which  he  has  to  pay  in  Purgatory. 
I  should  not  wonder  if  ou*  good  man,  before  laying  himself  to 


346  PRESERVATIVE 

sleep,  were  to  feel  about  his  neck  for  his  rosary  of  beads. 
Perhaps  he  has  one  of  a  particular  value,  and  like  that  which 
I  was  made  to  wear  next  my  skin,  when  a  boy.'  A  priest  had 
brought  it  from  Rome,  where  it  had  been  made,  if  we  believe 
the  certificates,  of  bits  of  the  very  stones  with  which  the  first 
martyr,  Stephen,  was  put  to  death.  Being  satisfied  that  the 
rosary  hangs  still  on  his  neck,  he  arranges  its  con:panion,  the 
scapulary,  formed  of  two  square  pieces  of  the  staff  which  is 
exclusively  worn  by  some  religious  order.  By  means  of  the 
scapulary,  he  is  assured  either  that  the  Virgin  Mary  will  not 
allow  him  to  remain  in  Purgatory  beyond  the  Saturday  next 
to  the  day  of  his  death ;  or  he  is  made  partaker  of  all  the  pen- 
ances and  good  works  performed  by  the  religious  of  the  order 
to  which  the  scapulary  belongs.  At  last,  having  said  a  prayer 
to  the  angel  who,  he  believes,  keeps  a  constant  guard  over 
him,  the  devout  Romanist  composes  himself  to  sleep,  touching 
his  forehead,  his  breast,  and  the  two  shoulders,  to  form  the 
figure  of  a  cross.  The  prayer  and  ceremonies  of  the  morning 
are  not  unlike  those  of  the  night.  Armed  with  the  sprinkling 
of  holy  water,  he  proceeds  to  mass  :  if  it  happens  to  be  one  of 
the  privileged  days  in  which  souls  may  be  delivered  out  of  Pur- 
gatory, you  will  see  him  saying  a  certain  number  of  prayers 
at  different  altars.  He  will  repeat  his  rosary  in  honor  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  dropping  through  his  fingers  either  fifty-five  or 
seventy-seven  beads,  which  are  strung  in  the  form  of  a  neck- 
lace. There  may  be  a  blessing  with  the  Sacrament,  which  the 
good  Catholic  will  not  lose,  for  the  sake  of  the  plenary  indul- 
gence which  the  Pope  grants  to  such  as  are  present.  On  that 
occasion  you  would  see  him  kneeling  and  beating  his  breast, 
while  the  priest,  in  a  splendid  cloak  of  silk  and  gold,  in  the 
midst  of  lighted  candles  and  the  smoke  of  frankincense,  makes 
the  sign  of  the  cross  with  a  consecrated  wafer,  inclosed  be- 
tween two  pieces  of  glass  set  in  gold.  It  would,  indeed,  be  an 
endless  task  were  I  to  enumerate  all  the  methods  and  contriv- 
ances of  this  kind  recommended  by  the  Church  of  Rome  to 
all  her  members,  and  practised  by  all  who  are  not  careless  of 
their  spiritual  concerns. — These  are  facts  which  no  honest 
Roman  Catholic  will  venture  to  deny.  I  therefore  ask  wheth- 
er, since  revelation  is  the  only  means  we  have  of  distinguish- 
mg  between  religion  and  superstition, —  between  things  and 
acts  which  really  can  influence  our  manner  of  being  when  w^ 
shall  be  removed  to  the  invisible  wo^ld,  and  fanciful  contriv 
ances  which  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose  connected  with 
our  spiritJial  welfare,-     ask  whether  the  whc  fe  system  of  the 


AGAINST    POPERY.  347 

Church  of  Rome,  for  the  attainment  of  Christian  virtue,  is  not 
a  chain  of  superstitious  practices,  calculated  to  accustom  the 
mind  to  imaginary  fear,  and  fly  to  the  Church  for  fanciful 
remedies  ?  Saint  Paul  had  a  prophetic  eye  on  this  adulterated 
Christianity  when  he  cautioned  the  Colossians,^  saying :  Let 
no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect 
of  a  holyday  :  Let  no  man  beguile  you  of  your  reivard  in  a 
voluntary  humility  and  worshipping  of  angels,  intruding  into 
those  things  which  he  hath  not  seen,  vainly  puffed  up  by  his 
fleshly  mind,  and  not  holding  the  head,  from  which  all  the  body, 
by  joints  and  oands,  having  nourishment,  ministered  and  knit  to- 
gether, increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God.  Wherefore,  if  ye 
be  dead  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the  world,  why,  as 
though  living  in  the  world,  are  ye  subject  to  ordinances  [touch 
7wt,  taste  not,  handle  not,  ivhich  all  are  to  perish  with  the  using) 
after  the  commandments  and  doctrines  of  men  ?  Which  things 
have,  indeed,  a  shew  of  wisdom  in  will-worship,  and  humility^ 
and  neglecting  of  the  body.  I  cannot  conceive  a  more  perfect 
resemblance  than  that  which  exists  between  the  picture  of  a 
devout  Romanist,  and  the  ivill-worship  described  in  this  pas- 
sage. Observe  the  distinction  of  days,  the  prohibition  of  cer- 
tain meats,  the  worshipping  of  angels,  the  numerous  ordinances, 
the  mortification  and  neglect  of  the  body ;  and,  most  of  all, 
the  losing  hold  of  the  head,  Christ,  and  substituting  a  constant 
endeavor  to  increase  spiritually  by  fleshly,  that  is,  external 
means,  instead  of  fortifying,  by  a  simple  and  spiritual  worship, 
the  bands  and  joints,  through  which  alone  the  Christian  can 
have  nourishment,  and  increase  with  the  increase  of  God. 

R.  1  confess  that  the  likeness  is  very  striking.  But  I  wish 
to  know  if  all  the  wUl-ivorship  of  the  Romanists  is  fully  recom- 
mended by  their  Church. 

A.  It  is  in  the  most  solemn  and  powerful  manner.  You 
have  only  to  look  into  the  devotional  books  which  are  used 
among  the  Romanists,  and  you  will  find  their  bishops  encour- 
aging this  kind  of  religious  discipline  in  the  most  uncjualified 
terms.  I  could  read  to  you  innumerable  passages  confirming 
and  recommending  more  fleshly  ordina7ices  than  ever  the 
Jews  observed ;  and  this,  too,  in  English  Roman  Catholic 
books,  which,  for  fear  of  censure  on  the  part  of  the  Protest- 
tnts,  are  generally  more  shy  of  disclosing  the  whole  system 
»f  their  Church,  than  those  published  abroad.  But  what  set- 
-ies  the  point  at  once  and  "kows  that  it  is  the  Church  of  Rome, 

♦Cliaj  ii 


348  PRESERVATIVE 

and  n)t  any  private  individual,  that  adulterates  -ne  character 
and  temper  of  Christian  virtue,  I  have  only  to  lefer  you  to 
their  Common  Prayer-book,  which  they  call  the  Breviary, — • 
Now,  that  is  a  book  not  only  published  and  confirmed  by  three 
Popes,  but  which  they  oblige  their  whole  clergy  to  read  daily, 
for  at  least  an  hour  and  a  half.  Such,  indeed,  is  the  impor- 
tance which  the  Church  of  Rome  attaches  to  that  book,  that 
she  declares  any  Clergyman  or  Monk  who  omits,  even  less 
than  an  eighth  part  of  the  appointed  daily  reading,  guilty  of 
sin,  worthy  of  hell, —  a  mortal  sin,  which  deprives  man  of  the 
grace  of  God.  The  Breviary  contains  Psalms  and  Collects, 
and  lives  of  Saints,  for  every  day  of  the  year.  These  lives 
are  given  as  examples  of  what  the  Church  of  Rome  declares 
to  be  Christian  perfection,  and  her  members  are,  of  course, 
urged  to  imitate  them  as  far  as  it  may  possibly  be  in  every 
one's  power.  Now,  I  can  assure  you,  having  been  for  many 
years  forced  to  read  the  Breviary  daily,  that  there  is  not  one 
instance  of  a  Saint,  whose  worship  is  not  grounded,  by  the 
Church  of  Rome,  mainly  upon  the  most  extravagant  practice 
of  external  ceremonies,  and  the  most  shocking  use  of  their 
imaginary  virtue  of  penance. 

R.  What  do  they  mean  by  penance  ? 

A.  The  voluntary  infliction  of  pain  on  themselves  to  expiate 
their  sins. 

R.  Do  they  not  believe  in  the  atonement  of  Christ  ? 

A.  They  believe  that  the  atonement  is  enough  to  save 
them  from  hell,  but  not  from  a  temporal  punishment  of  sin. 

R.  But  have  they  not  plenary  i?idulgences  to  satisfy  for  that 
temporal  punishment  ? 

A.  So  they  believe ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  they  cannot  un- 
derstand themselves  upon  the  subject  of  penance  and  indul- 
gences. Penance,  however,  the  Romanist  Church  recom- 
mends, even  at  the  expense  of  depraving  the  sense  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  their  translations.  As  there  is  nothing  ip  the  New  Tes- 
tament which  can  make  self-inflicted  pain  a  Christian  virtue, 
the  Romanists,  wanting  a  text  to  support  their  piactices,  have 
rendered  the  third  verse  of  the  13th  chapter  of  Luke,  "  Unless 
ye  be  penitent,  ye  shall  all  alike  perish."  Yet,  this  was  not 
enough  for  their  purpose,  and  as  the  same  sentence  is  repeat- 
ed in  the  fifth  verse,  there  they  slipt  in  the  word  penance. — 
Their  translation  of  that  verse  is,  "  Unless  ye  shall  do  penance^ 
you  shall  all  alike  perish."  By  the  use"  of  this  word  they 
make  their  laity  believe,  that  both  ccTifession,  which  ley  cali 


AGAINST   POPERY.  349 

peTUiTice,  and  all  the  bodily  mortifications  which  go  among 
them  by  the  same  name,  are  commanded  by  Christ. 

i?.    That,  Sir,  I  look  upon  as  very  unfair. 

A.  And  the  more  so,  my  friend,  as,  in  the  original  Gospel, 
the  word  used  by  the  inspired  writer  is  the  same  in  both 
verses,  and  cannot  by  any  possib  lity  mean  an}^  thing  but  a 
change  of  the  miJid,  which  we  properly  express  by  the  w'ord 
repent. 

R.  What,  Sir,  is  the  origin  of  their  attachment  to  bodily 
mortification  ? 

A.  A  mean  estimate  of  the  atonement  of  Christ ;  and  the 
example  of  some  fanatics,  whom,  at  an  early  period  of  the 
corruptions  of  Christianity,  Rome  declared  to  be  saints  and 
patterns  of  Evangelical  virtue.  The  Monks,  who  took  them 
for  their  models,  gained  an  unbounded  influence  in  the 
Church  ;  and  both  by  the  practice  of  some  enthusiasts  among 
them,  and  by  the  stories  of  mirac.es,  which  they  reported  as 
being  the  reward  of  their  bodily  mortification,  confirmed  the 
opinion  of  the  great  merit  of  penance  among  the  laity.  Here, 
also,  the  mutual  aid  of  the  doctrines  invented  by  Rome  con- 
tributed to  increase  the  error ;  for,  as  the  Popes  teach  that  the 
indulgences  which  they  grant  are  taken  from  the  treasure  of 
merits  collected  by  the  Saints,  it  is  the  interest  of  those  who 
expect  to  escape  from  Purgatory  by  the  aid  of  indulgences, 
that  the  treasure  of  penances  be  well-stocked  ;  and  they  greatly 
enjoy  the  accounts  of  w^onderful  mortifications  which  their 
Church  gives  them  in  her  Prayer-book. 

R.    Do  you  think  those  accounts  extravagant  ? 

A.  I  will  give  two  or  three,  and  you  shall  judge.  You 
know  that  Saint  Patrick  is  one  of  the  most  favorite  Saints 
am.ong  the  Irish  Roman  Catholics,  as  having  been  the  first 
who  introduced  Christianity  into  their  island.  The  Church 
-of  Rome  gives  the  following  account  of  his  daily  religious 
practices,  holding  him  up,  of  course,  as  a  pattern,  which,  if 
few  can  fully  copy,  every  one  will  be  the  more  perfect  as  he 
"^endeavors  to  imitate.  The  Breviary  tells  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics, that  when  their  patron  Saint  was  a  slave,  having  his  mas- 
ter's cattle  under  kis  care,  he  uised  to  rise  before  daylight, 
under  the  snows  and  rains  of  winter,  to  begin  his  usual  task 
of  praying  one  hundred  times  in  the  day,  and  again  one  huu' 
dred  times  in  the  night.  When  he  was  made  a  Bishop,  we  are 
told  that  he  repeated  every  day  the  one  hur.dred  and  fifty 
Psalms  of  the  Psaltery,  with  a  collection  of  canticles  and 
hymns,  and  two  hundred  collects  besides.     }Ie  riade  it  also  a 

2G 


350  PRESERVATIVE 

daily  duty  to  kneel  three  hundred  times,  and  to  make  ir  e  sign 
of  the  cross  with  his  hand  eight  hundred  times  a  day.  In  the 
night  he  recited  one  hundred  Psalms,  and  knelt  two  hundjred 
times — passed  one  third  of  it  up  to  the  chin  in  cold  water,  re- 
peating fifty  Psalms  more,  and  then  rested  for  two  or  three 
hours  on  a  stone  pavement. 

R.  I  cannot  believe  it  possible  for  a  man  to  perform  what 
you  have  said,  unless  he  had  the  strength  and  velocity  of  a 
steam  engine. 

A.  I  will  not  enter  into  the  question  of  its  probability. 
External  ceremonies,  and  a  course  of  self-murdering  practices, 
are  proposed  by  the  Church  of  Rome,  in  nine  out  of  ten  lives 
of  their  Saints,  as  objects  of  imitation.  In  the  same  spirit,  St. 
Catherine  of  Siena  is  represented  as  so  addicted  to  the  prac- 
tice of  fasting,  that  Heaven,  to  indulge  her  in  the  performance 
of  that  pretended  virtue,  kept  her,  by  miracle,  without  food 
from  Ash- Wednesday  till  Whit-Sunday.  So  the  Breviary 
proclaims  before  the  face  of  the  world. 

R.  But  does  not  our  Church  recommend  fasting  as  a  reli- 
gious practice  ? 

A.  The  practice  of  checking  our  appetites,  even  those  which 
we  may  indulge  without  sin,  is  a  most  useful  exercise  of  the 
powers  of  the  will  over  the  inclinations  of  our  passions.  The 
man  who  cannot  abstam  from  some  savory  food,  and  is  a 
slave  to  the  cravings  of  his  stomach,  is  little  apt  to  control  his 
inclinations  when  tempted  to  open  sin.  Upon  this  principle, 
and  justly  fearing  that  if  the  memory  of  fast  was  abolished, 
men  might  be  inclined  to  believe  that  Protestantism  encour- 
aged gluttony  and  excess  ;  the  Church  of  England  recom- 
mends a  rational  abstinence  on  certain  daj's,  which,  especially 
when  it  is  made  to  produce  some  savings  to  bestow  upon  the 
poor,  must  be  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God.  But  neither 
are  these  fasts  enjoined  under  the  threat  of  damnation,  as  we 
find  them  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  nor  do  they  consist  in  a  su- 
perstitious distinction,  or  quantity  of  food.  The  Roman  Cath- 
olic fast  is  intended  to  produce  pain  and  suffering,  which  is  the 
object  of  their  penances  ;  ours  is  a  mere  check  laid  upon  in- 
dulgence, and  even  that  is  left  to  the  discretion  and  free  will 
of  every  individual. 

R.  How  far  does  the  Church  of  Rome  recommend  the  in- 
fliction of  pain,  as  penance  ? 

A.  To  an  excess  that  destroys  every  year  many  well-mean ^ 
ing  and  ardent  persons,  especially  young  wome:i  of  that  com 
muniou      These  deluded  creature?  lead  the  lives  of  Saints  set 


AGAINST   POPERY.  351 

forth  by  their  Church,  and  there  they  find  many  females  who 
are  said  to  have  arrived  at  great  perfection  by  living,  like  St. 
Elizabeth  of  Portugal,  one  half  of  the  year  on  bread  and  wa- 
ter ;  besides  the  constant  use  of  scourghig  their  bodies,  sleep- 
ing on  the  naked  ground,  wearing  bandages  with  points  that 
run  into  the  flesh,  plunging  into  freezing  water,  and  ten  thou- 
sand other  methods  of  gradually  destroying  life. 

R.  I  cannot  help  thinking,  that  though  the  Church  of  Rome 
is  not  the  best  school  for  Christian  instruction,  it  must  afford  a 
kind  of  spiritual  amusement  (spiritual,  I  say,  because  I  cannot 
find  another  word)  to  her  followers.  Her  ceremonies,  her  mir- 
acles, her  relics,  must  afford  an  agreeable  variety  to  those  who 
have  never  doubted  her  creed. 

A.  Ah,  my  friend,  nothing  can  be  more  deceitful  than  the 
appearance  of  that  Church.  There  is  more  misery  produced 
by  her  laws  and  institutions  than  I  can  possibly  describe, 
though  I  have  drunk  her  cup  of  bitterness  to  the  dregs.  In  the 
first  place,  a  sincere  mind  which  is  made  to  depend  for  the 
hope  of  salvation  on  any  thing  but  faith  and  unbounded  trust  in 
the  Saviour,  can  never  enjoy  that  Christian  peace  "which 
passeth  all  understanding."  I  have  known  some  of  the  best 
and  most  conscientious  Roman  Catholics  which  that  Church 
can  ever  boast  of;  my  own  mother  and  sisters  were  among 
them  ;  I  have  been  Confessor  not  a  few  years,  and  heard  the 
true  state  of  mind  of  the  most  religious  nuns,  and  such  as  were 
looked  upon  as  living  saints  by  all  the  inhabitants  of  my  town. 
From  this  intimate  knowledge  of  their  state,  I  do  assure  you, 
that  they  are,  for  the  greatest  part,  so  full  of  doubts  about  their 
salvation,  as  not  unfrequently  to  be  driven  to  madness.  In  their 
anxiety  to  accumulate  merits  (for  their  Church  teaches  them 
that  their  penances  and  religious  practices  are  deserving  of 
reward  in  heaven)  they  involve  themselves  in  a  maze  of  ex- 
ternal practices.  Then  come  the  fears  of  sin  in  the  very  things 
which  they  undertake  under  the  notion  of  pleasing  God  ;  and 
as  they  believe  that  their  works  are  to  be  weighed  and  valued 
in  strict  justice,  the  sincerity  of  their  hearts  cannot  help  dis- 
covering not  only  that  they  are  nothing  worth,  but  that  sin  is 
often  mixed  with  their  performance.  In  this  state  they  are 
never  impressed  with  the  true  scriptural  doctrine,  that  the 
blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  whenever  the  sinner, 
with  a  lively  faith,  receives  him  as  his  only  Saviour.  They  arc 
not  taught  that  good  works  are  the  fruit  of  true  faith  ;  but  that 
they  b(?ar  a  true  share  with  Christ  in  the,  work  of  our  salva- 
tion.    They  ■  re  thus  fo  *ced,  by  their  docfrines,  to  look  to  them- 


352  PRESERVATIVE 

selves  for  t.ie  hope  of  heaven;  and  what  can  be  the  conse- 
quence but  the  most  agonizing  fear  ?  With  the  view  of  heaven 
and  hell  perpetually  before  their  eyes,  and  a  strong  belief  that 
the  obtaining  the  one  and  avoiding  the  other  depend  on  the 
performance  of  a  multitude  of  self-imposed  duties,  as  compli- 
cated and  more  difficult  than  those  of  the  ceremonial  law  of  the 
Jews ;  what  can  be  the  result  but  distracting  anxiety  ?  When 
a  Protestant  is  conscious  that  he  does  not  make  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  by  faith  in  Christ  a  means  to  deceive  himself  and 
indulge  his  passions;  his  trust  in  the  "full,  perfect,  and  suf- 
ficient sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world,"  which  was  made  on  the  cross,  removes  all  fear 
from  his  soul.  In  his  progress  through  the  stormy  sea  of  life, 
he  does  not,  as  the  Romanist,  cling  with  one  hand  to  Christ, 
and  depend  on  the  strength  of  the  other  to  break  the  waves. — 
The  poor,  deluded  pupil  of  the  Popish  school,  looks  (as  man  al- 
ways does  in  cases  of  great  danger)  not  to  the  stronger,  but 
the  weaker  ground,  for  his  dependence  for  safety.  Fear,  con- 
sequently, predominates  in  his  heart.  "  Mind  your  s-Avim- 
ming  hand,"  say  his  Priests  ;  "  ply  it  stoutly,  or  Christ  will 
allow  you  to  sink."  "  Hold  fast  on  Him  who  is  powerful  to 
save,"  says  the  Protestant  Church,  in  the  language  of  the  Bi- 
ole  ;  "  all  that  you  have  to  do,  is  to  throw  the  weight  of  your 
."^ins  and  infirmities  upon  Christ."  This  is  the  only  faith  that 
can  produce  the  fulness  of  "joy  and  hope  in  believing." 

R.     But  are  not  good  works  necessary  to  salvation  ? 

A.  The  truly  Apostolic  doctrine  on  that  point  will  be  best 
understood  by  looking  to  the  direct  consequence  of  sin.  Be- 
sides that,  the  whole  scripture  is  full  of  loud  warnings  against 
wickedness ;  the  Apostle  expressly  says  :  K?ioiv  ye  not  that  the 
unrighteous  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God  .?  Be  not  de- 
ceived ;  neither  fornicators,  nor  idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor 
effeminate,  nor  abusers  of  themselves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves^ 
nor  covetous,  nor  drunkards,  nor  remlers,  nor  extortioners,  shall 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.^^  So  that  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
that  if  we  wish  to  he  saved,  we  must  renounce  sin,  or,  as  we 
are  told  by  our  Saviour,  we  must  repent ;  that  is,  as  the  origi- 
nal word  expresses  it,  we  must  change  our  mind,  from  the 
pursuit  of  unrighteousness.  By  turning  away  from  sin,  and 
placing  our  full  trust  or  faith  in  Christ,  we  are  pardoned  and 
oecome  justified  in  the  sight  of  God.  We  then  are  made  living' 
oranches  of  the  true  vine,  and  the  spiritual  life,  which  we  re- 

♦  1  Cor.  vi.  9.  10 


AGAINST   POPERY.  353 

reive  from  the  trunk,  cfinnot  fail  to  produce  fruit  unto  life  eter- 
nal. Here,  then,  is  the  essential  difference  between  the  Prot- 
estant and  the  Roman  Catholic  doctrine  of  justification.  The 
Roman  Catholic  believes  that  his  good  works  are,  in  part  at 
least,  the  means  of  his  justification,  and  is  anxious  to  secure 
and  increase  it  by  numerous  external  practices,  especially  by 
self-inflicted  misery  ;  the  true  Protestant  feels  assured,  on  the 
strength  of  revelation,  that,  as  he  turns  with  his  whole  heart, 
and  accepts  pardon  through  Christ's  blood,  his  sins  are  par- 
doned without  reserve.  The  work  of  justification,  or  acquittal, 
is  thereby  perfect ;  and  the  spirit  of  Christ  proceeds  without 
delay  subsequent  to  the  work  of  sanctification.  The  Protest- 
ant has  but  one  groimd  of  salutary  fear,  lest  he  should  wilful- 
ly and  deliberately  turn  again  from  Christ  to  sin  ;  but  this  fear 
is  allayed  by  the  certainty  given  him  by  the  same  Scripture, 
that  God  is  faithful,  and  that  it  is  God  "  who  worketh  in  us 
both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his  good  pleasure. "=^ — The  system  of 
Popish  justification  is,  I  repeat  to  you,  in  the  words  of  that 
truly  great  and  calumniated  man,  Luther,  "  a  plain  tyran- 
ny, a  racking  and  crucifying  of  consciences."  He  knew 
this  from  his  own  experience,  for,  like  myself,  he  had  in  his 
youth,  tried  it  in  the  full  sincerity  of  his  heart.  In  order  to  se- 
cure his  salvation,  and  following  the  advice  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  he  made  himself  a  Monk,  and  most  conscientiously  kept 
the  rule  of  his  order ;  but  he  found,  what  I  have  frequently 
seen  in  those  who  bind  themselves  with  Popish  vows,  that  he 
was  on  the  way  to  distraction  and  downright  madness.  "  When 
I  was  a  Monk,"  he  says,  "I  endeavored,  as  much  as  possible, 
to  live  after  the  strait  rule  of  my  own  order;  I  was  wont  to 
shrive  (confess)  myself  with  great  devotion,  and  to  reckon  up 
all  my  sins,  being  always  very  contrite  before,  and  I  returned 
to  confession  very  often,  and  thoroughly  performed  the  penance 
that  was  enjoined  unto  me  ;  yet  for  all  this  my  conscience 
could  never  be  fully  certified,  but  was  always  in  doubt,  and 
said  this  or  that  thou  hast  not  done  rightly  ;  thou  wast  not  con- 
trite and  sorrowful  enough  ;  this  sin  thou  didst  omit  in  thy  con- 
fession, and  so  forth.  Therefore,  the  more  I  went  about  to 
help  my  weak,  wavering  and  afflicted  conscience  by  men's  tra- 
ditions, the  more  weak,  and  doubtful,  and  the  more  afflicted,  I 
was.  And  thus,  the  more  I  observed  men's  traditions,  the 
more  I  transgressed  them ;  and  in  seeking  after  righteousness 
by  mine  order,  I  never  could  attain  unto  it." — Try  the  truth  of 

*  PhU.  ii.  13 
2g2 


354  PRESERVATIVE 

this  statement  I  myself  can  bear  most  ample  testimony.  In 
fact,  with  the  exception  of  the  persecuting  spirit  of  the  Church 
of  Rome,  I  know  nothing  more  odious  and  mischievous  than 
her  contrivances  after  the  righteousness  or  sanctity  which  she 
recommends  ;  they  are  indeed  a  'plain  tyrannij^  a  racking  and, 
crucifying  of  the  conscience. 

R.    What  contrivances  do  you  mean? 

A.  I  mean  the  Popish  laws,  by  which,  in  order,  as  they 
say,  to  make  their  clergy  more  perfect,  men  are  led  into  the 
most  fatal  snares,  even  to  the  loss  of  their  souls,  or  at  least  to 
the  ruin  of  their  happiness.  It  is,  indeed,  a  consequence  of 
the  Romanist  doctrine  of  good  works,  or  works  through  which 
men  acquire  a  title  to  salvation,  that  they  should  lay  intolerable 
burthens  on  the  necks  of  well-disposed  Christians.  Hence  the 
Pope  has  made  it  necessary  for  his  Clergy  never  to  marry; 
and  for  both  men  and  women  who,  striving  after  the  imaginary 
perfection  of  works,  make  themselves  Monks,  or  Friars,  or 
Nuns,  to  make  vows  of  never  marrying,  of  obeying  the  supe- 
rior of  their  Convents,  and  possessing  no  money.  They  also 
oblige  themselves  to  keep  the  rule  of  their  order,  which  gives 
forty  or  fifty  commandments,  besides  those  of  God  ;  and  which, 
by  their  vows,  they  consider  as  binding,  as  if  they  were  all  in 
the  Bible.  As  far  as  this  goes  such  a  system  would  be  a  dan- 
gerous absurdity;  for  what  can  be  more  unreasonable  than  to 
endanger  salvation  by  self-imposed  duties,  when  we  know  how 
difficult  it  is  for  man  to  keep  the  plain  laws  of  God  ?  But,  as 
the  object  of  all  these  human  ordinances  is,  that  the  Church  of 
Rome  may  be  able  to  make  an  external  show  of  the  sanctity  of 
her  unmarried  Priests,  and  the  self-denial  of  her  professed 
Monks  and  Nuns  ;  the  Popes,  fearing  lest  those  who  undertake 
these  duties,  should  soon  find  them  impracticable,  and  shame 
the  Church  by  resuming  their  Christian  liberty — the  Popes, 
I  say,  most  unfeelingly,  and  with  the  greatest  disregard  of 
men's  salvation,  have  induced  all  Roman  Catholic  governments 
to  force  Clergymen,  Friars  and  Nuns,  to  abide  by  their  profes- 
sion ;  so  that  whoever  finds  himself  unable  to  live  in  celibacy, 
or  within  the  walls  of  a  convent,  must  fly  his  country,  under  the 
dreadful  certainty,  that,  if  taken  in  the  attempt,  he  shall  be 
punished  with  a  cruel  imprisonment  during  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

it.  That  is  certainly  a  piece  of  tyrann]^  which  I  have  not 
sufficient  words  to  describe. 

A.  You  would,  indeed,  want  words  to  express  your  feelings, 
if  you  h^d  seen  the  effects  of  that  proud  and  insolent  despot- 


AGAINST    POPERY.  355 

rsm  of  the  Romish  Church,  as  I  have.  Indeed,  I  am  touching 
upon  a  subject  of  which  I  cannot  speak  without  the  most  live- 
ly pain  and  indignation.  When  Saint  Paul  enumerates  the 
advantages  which  the  unmarried  Christians  had  in  the  early- 
days  of  the  Gospel,  he  uses  the  greatest  .caution.  "This  (says 
the  Apostle)  I  speak  for  your  own  profit,  not  that  I  may  cast  a 
snare  upon  you."  The  Church  of  Rome,  on  the  contrary,  car- 
ried away  by  her  pride,  uses  every  art  to  induce  young  per- 
sons of  either  sex  to  bind  themselves  with  religious  vows  of 
chastity  for  life.  All  her  books  of  devotion,  and  especially  her 
established  Prayer-book,  are  full  of  the  praises  of  virginity. 
She  carries  her  absurd,  not  to  say  wicked,  extravagance  to 
the  point  of  asserting  of  one  of  her  female  Saints,  (Saint  Rose 
of  Lima,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned,)  that  she  made  a 
vow  of  perpetual  chastity  at  the  age  of  five  years.  There  was 
indeed  a  time  when  children  were  bound  by  their  parents  to 
become  Monks  and  Nuns  for  life;  an  engagement  which  they 
were  forced  to  keep  when  they  grew  up.  But  now  the  Church 
of  Rome  allows  boys  and  girls  of  sixteen  to  take  the  religious 
•vows,  and,  having  done  so,  she  puts  them  under  the  guard  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Governments,  who,  frightened  with  the 
spiritual  threats  of  the  Popes,  employ  their  force  to  make  them 
prisoners  of  the  Church  for  life.  It  would  make  your  very 
heart  sick  to  see  the  nunneries  abroad.  They  are  large 
houses,  with  high  walls  like  prisons  ;  having  small  windows  at 
a  great  distance  from  the  ground,  and  guarded  by  strong  and 
close  iron  bars,  bristled  over  with  long  spikes.  As  it  is  the  cus- 
tom among  Roman  Catholics  to  send  most  of  their  little  girls  to 
be  educated  by  the  Nuns,  the  poor  innocents  become  attached 
to  their  teachers,  who  are  besides  exceedingly  anxious  to  gain 
recruits  to  their  order.  The  girls  are  petted  till  they  come  of 
age  to  take  the  vows.  The  priests,  who,  being  not  allowed  to 
marry,  feel  a  strong  jealousy  of  those  who  take  a  young  and 
amiable  wife,  are  always  ready  to  advise  their  young  penitents 
to  take  the  veil.  In  this  manner  a  great  number  of  unsuspect- 
ing girls  are  yearly  entrapped  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 
Even  in  England,  nunneries  have  been  on  the  increase  of  late 
years.  Some  of  these  poor  prisoners  continue  in  their  slavery 
without  reluctance  ;  many  feel  unhappy,  but  submit  from  the 
shame  of  changing  their  minds,  and  because,  even. in  this  coun- 
try, where  the  Protestant  law  would  protect  their  leaving  the 
convent,  their  relations  would  look  upon  them  as  reprobates, 
and  tneir  Priests  would  harass  them  to  death.  In  Roman 
Catholic  countries,  the  hopelessness  of  their  case  obliges  manjr 


356  PRESERVATIVE 

to  bear  their  unhappy  lot  patiently.     But  some  are  driven  to 

desperation,  and  I  have  known  instances  which  prove  that  the 
Pope  is  a  more  unfeeling  tyrant  than  any  slave-master  in 
Algiers, 

R.  Have  you  really  seen  a  poor  female  dying  for  liberty, 
and  yet  kept  like  a  criminal  in  bondage  ? 

A.  I  have  known  many;  but  there  was  one  among  those 
unhappy  victims  whose  sufferings  harrow  my  mind  and  hear* 
whenever  they  come  to  my  recollection.  You  must,  however, 
be  made  acquainted  with  her  melancholy  story ;  but,  to  save 
myself  the  pain  of  telling  it  anew,  let  me  read  it  out  of  my 
Evidence  against  Catholicism : 

"  The  eldest  daughter  of  a  family  intimately  acquainted 
with  mine,  was  brought  up  in  the  convent  of  Saint  Agnes  at 
Seville,  under  the  care  of  her  mother's  sister,  the  abbess  of 
that  female  community.  The  circumstances  of  the  whole 
transaction  were  so  public  at  Seville,  and  the  subsequent  ju- 
dicial proceedings  have  given  them  such  notoriety,  that  I  do 
not  feel  bound  to  conceal  names.  Maria  Francisca  Barreiro, 
the  unfortunate  subject  of  this 'account,  grew  up,  a  lively  and 
interesting  girl,  in  the  convent,  while  a  younger  sister  en- 
joyed the  advantages  of  an  education  at  home.  The  mother 
formed  an  early  design  of  devoting  her  eldest  daughter  to  re- 
ligion, in  order  to  give  her  less  attractive  favorite  a  better 
chance  of  getting  a  husband.  The  distant  and  harsh  man- 
ner with  which  she  constantly  treated  Maria  Francisca,  at- 
tached the  unhappy  girl  to  her  aunt  by  the  ties  of  the  most 
ardent  affection.  The  time,  however,  arrived  when  it  was 
necessary  that  she  should  either  leave  her,  and  endure  the 
consequences  of  her  mother's  aversion  at  home,  or  take  the 
vows,  and  thus  close  the  gates  of  the  convent  upon  herself  for- 
ever. She  preferred  the  latter  course ;  and  came  out  to  pay 
the  last  visit  to  her  friends.  1  met  her,  almost  daily,  at  the 
house  of  one  of  her  relations  ;  where  her  words  and  manner 
soon  convinced  me  that  she  was  a  victim  of  her  mother's  de- 
signing and  unfeeling  disposition.  The  father  was  an  excel- 
lent man,  though  timid  and  undecided.  He  feared  his  wife, 
and  was  in  awe  of  the  Monks,  who,  as  usual,  were  extremely 
anxious  to  increase  the  number  of  their  female  prisoners. — 
Though  I  was  aware  of  the  danger  which  a  man  incurs  in 
Spain,  who  tries  to  dissuade  a  young  woman  from  being  a 
Nun,  humanity  impelled  me  to  sperfk  seriously  to  the  father, 
entreating  him  not  to  expose  a.  beloved  child  to  spend  her  life 
^n  hopeless  regret  for  lost  liberty.     He  vvas  greatly  moved  dy 


AGAINST   POPERY.  357 

my  reasons ;  but  <he  impression  I  made  was  sotn  obliterated. 
The  day  for  Maria  Francisca's  taking  the  veil  was  at  length 
fixed,  and,  though  I  had  a  most  pressing  invitation  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  ceremony,  I  determined  not  to  see  the  wretched 
victim  at  the  altar.  On  the  preceding  day,  I  was  called  from 
my  stall  at  the  Royal  Chapel  to  the  confessional.  A  lady 
quite  covered  by  her  black  veil,  was  kneeling  at  the  grate 
through  which  females  speak  to  the  confessor.  As  soon  as  I 
took  my  seat,  the  well-known  voice  of  Maria  Francisca  made 
me  start  with  surprise.  Bathed  in  tears,  and  scarcely  able  to 
speak  without  betraying  her  state  to  the  people  who  knelt  near 
the  confessional  box,  by  the  sobs  which  interrupted  her  words, 
she  told  me  she  wished  only  to  unburden  her  heart  to  me,  be- 
fore she  shut  herself  up  for  life.  Assistance,  she  as^red  me, 
she  would  not  receive  ;  for,  rather  than  live  with  her  mother, 
and  endure  the  obloquy  "to  which  her  swerving  from  her  an- 
nounced determination  would  expose  her,  *  she  would  risk  the 
salvation  of  her  soul.'  All  my  remonstrances  were  in  vain. 
I  offered  to  obtain  the  protection  of  the  Archbishop,  and  there- 
by to  extricate  her  from  the  difficulties  in  which  she  was  in- 
volved. She  declined  my  offer,  and  appeared  as  resolute  as 
she  was  wretched.  The  next  morning  she  took  the  veil ;  and 
professed  at  the  end  of  the  following  year.  Her  good  aunt 
died  soon  after  ;  and  the  Nuns,  who  had  allured  her  into  the 
convent  by  their  caresses,  when  they  perceiv^ed  that  she  was 
not  able  to  disguise  her  misery,  and  feared  that  the  existence 
of  a  reluctant  Nun  might  by  her  means  transpire,  became  her 
daily  tormentors. 

"  After  an  absence  of  three  j^ears  from  Seville,  I  found  that 
Maria  Francisca  had  openly  declared  her  aversion  to  a  state 
from  which  nothing  but  death  could  save  her.  She  often 
changed  her  confessors,  expecting  comfort  from  their  advice. 
At  last  she  found  a  friend  in  one  of  the  companions  of  my 
youth;  a  man  whose  benevolence  surpasses  even  the  bright 
genius  with  which  nature  has  gifted  him ;  though  neither  has 
been  able  to  exempt  him  from  the  evils  to  which  Spaniards 
seem  to  be  fated  in  proportion  to  their  worth.  He  became  her 
confessor,  and  in  that  capacity  spoke  to  her  daily.  But  what 
could  he  do  against  the  inflexible  tyranny  in  whose  grasp  she 
languished  ! 

"  About  this  time  the  approach  of  Napoleon's  army  threw 
^he  town  into  a  general  consternation,  and  the  convents  were 
>pened  to  such  of  the  Nuns  as  wished  to  fiy.  Maria  Francis- 
ca whose  parents  were  absent,  put  herself  under  the  protec- 


35.9  PEESERVATIVE 

tion  of  a  young  prebendary  of  the  Cathedral,  and  by  his 
means  reached  Cadiz,  where  I  saw  her  on  my  way  to  England. 
1  shall  never  forget  the  anguish  with  which,  after  a  long  con- 
versation, wherein  she  disclosed  to  me  the  whole  extent  of  her 
wretchedness,  she  exclaimed,  There  is  no  hope  for  me !  and 
fell  into  convulsions. 

"  The  liberty  of  Spain  from  the  French  invaders  was  the 
signal  for  the  fresh  confinement  of  this  helpless  young  woman 
to  her  former  prison.  Here  she  attempted  to  put  an  end  to  her 
sufferings  by  throwing  herself  into  a  deep  well ;  but  was  taken 
out  alive.  -  Her  mother  was  now  dead,  and  her  friends  insti- 
tuted a  suit  of  nullity  of  profession,  before  the  ecclesiastical 
court.  But  the  laws  of  the  Council  of  Trent  were  positive ; 
and  she  was  cast  in  the  trial.  Her  despair,  however,  exhaust- 
ed the  little  strength  which  her  protracted  sufferings  had  left 
her,  and  the  unhappy  Maria  Francisca  died  soon  after,  having 
scarcely  reached  her  twenty-fifth  year." 

R.  Sir,  the  history  of  your  unfortunate  friend  is  so  horrible, 
that  I  wonder  how  whole  nations  can  conspire  to  support  a 
tyranny  wicked  enough  to  sacrifice  not  only  the  body  but  the 
soul  of  the  helpless  creatures  who  fall  into  its  snares.  I  know 
that  God  is  infinitely  merciful ;  but  does  it  not  strike  you  that 
the  Pope  and  his  Church,  provided  they  keep  their  slaves,  do 
not  care  if  they  are  driven  to  suicide,  and  all  the  sins  which 
follow  and  attend  despair? 

A.  I  know  that  the  Pope  and  his  Counsellors  are  perfectly 
indifTerent  about  moral  evils  which  arise  from  the  laws  which 
keep  up  the  appearance  of  infallibility  in  their  Church. — 
Rather  than  alter  her  law  of  celibacy,  Rome  has  allowed  her 
Clergy  to  be  for  many  ages  exposed  to  the  most  fatal  tempta 
tions  ;  and  for  the  most  part  to  be  involved  in  the  guilt  of  many 
a  secret,  and  many  an  open  sin,  which  might  be  avoided  by 
the  repeal  of  that  law. 

R.  Does  not  the  Pope  ever  dispense  with  the  law  of  celib- 
acy ? 

A.  Rome,  my  friend,  never  draws  back  but  when  fear  com- 
pels her.  The  only  dispensation  I  ever  heard  of,  was  obtained 
by  Bonaparte  for  Talleyrand,  a  French  Bishop.  The  whole 
history  of  Papal  Rome  proves  that  nothing  but  absolute  com- 
pulsion will  ever  make  her  change  her  conduct.  Even  when 
the  Popes  have  been  forced  to  yield  to  necessity,  they  have  al- 
ways done  it  in  sullen  silence,  and  never  by  publicly  disclaim- 
ing even  their  most  unjustifiable  and  tyrannical  laws.  At  this 
moment,  when  the  Pope  knows  that  by  a  short  declaration  he 


AGAINST    POPERY.  359 

should  instantly  remove  all  the  difficulties  which  oppose  the 
termination  of  what  is  called  the  Catholic  Question,  and  dis- 
pel the  well-grounded  fears  which  most  Protestants  have  of 
the  admission  of  Roman  Catholics  to  seats  in  Parliament, — 
the  Pope  lets  them  struggle  on  towards  the  object  of  their  am 
bition ;  with  the  view,  no  doubt,  of  reminding  them,  in  case  they 
should  gain  the  point,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  spiritual  son 
of  Rome  to  exert  himself  in  the  destruction  of  Protestantism, 
and  consequently  so  to  behave  themselves  in  Parliament,  as  to 
undermine  the  foundations  of  every  Christian  denomination 
which  does  not  acknowledge  the  Pope  as  the  Vicar  of  Christ 
on  earth. 

R.  I  know.  Sir,  many  Roman  Catholics  who  are  most  ex- 
cellent people,  and  who  appear  to  bear  no  malice  against  the 
religion  of  their  neighbors. 

A.  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  many  such  persons  among 
them ;  but  am  equally  certain  that  every  spiritual  subject  of 
the  Pope  is  bound  to  oppose  Protestantism,  by  the  same  con- 
scientious principle  which  makes  him  a  Roman  Catholic. — 
Why  is  he  a  Romanist  ?  Because  he  thinks  the  Pope's  reli- 
gion the  safest  way  to  save  his  soul.  Would  he  then  endan- 
ger that  soul  by  acting  against  the  principles  of  that  religion, 
merely  for  the  sake  of  the  Protestants  ? 

R.  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  the  real  belief  of  the  Church 
of  Rome  with  regard  to  Protestants  ? 

/].  The  Churcli  of  Rome  declares,  as  positively  as  she  does 
the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and  the  Death  and  Resurrection 
of  our  Saviour,  that  there  is  no  salvation  out  of  her  pale ;  that 
is  to  say,  that  the  promises  of  the  Gospel  are  exclusively 
made  to  those  who  acknowledge  the  Pope  as  the  representa- 
tive of  (Jhrist.  This  doctrine  has  been  repeatedly  established 
by  the  highest  authority  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  which  is  the 
Pope  and  his  Bishops  met  in  council.  The  same  authority 
has  declared  and  bound  all  Roman  Catholics  to  believe,  that 
every  person  who  has  received  baptism,  either  in  their  church, 
or  out  of  it,  is  obliged  to  obey  all  the  precepts  of  the  holy 
Church,  either  written  or  delivered  by  tradition  ;  arid  that  loho- 
ever  denies  that  such  baptized  persons  should  not  be  forced  to 
obey  those  precepts  by  any  other  punishment  than  that  of  ex- 
communication, is  to  be  accursed.  Such  is  the  declaration  of 
the  Council  of  Trent,^  whose  infallibility  no  Roman  Catho- 
lic can  disbelieve.  He  is  therefore  accursed  by  the  Church 
of  Rome  who  supports  religious  toleration.  Nothing,  conse- 
♦  Session  VII.  Canon  IV.  and  XIV. 


360  PRESERVATIVE 

quently,  can  be  more  evident,  than  that  sincere  Roman  Catho' 
lies  are  bound  to  be  intolerant ;  for  the  Koman  Catholic  reli- 
gion does  not  consist  only  in  believing  certain  doctrines,  but 
in  believing  them  in  obedience  to  that  Church  of  which  the 
Pope  is  the  head.  The  sincere  Roman  Catholic  cannot,  there- 
fore, explain  away  the  practical  consequences  of  his  creed. — 
He  believes  what  his  Church  believes  :  his  Church  believes 
that  whoever  denies  that  baptized  persons  should  be  forced  to 
obey  the  traditions  of  Rome,  is  accursed  ;  he  must  therefore 
deem  himself  accursed  if  he  omits  any  opportwnit}''  of  forcing 
people  into  the  Romish  communion.  Besides,  :f  you  see  the 
Roman  Catholics  incessantly  at  work  to  make  converts  by 
persuasion,  because  their  Church  declares  it  to  be  their  duty 
to  snatch  the  souls  of  Protestants  from  eternal  damnation  ;  how 
can  you  suppose  that,  if  they  had  power,  they  would  not  use 
it  for  the  same  purpose  and  under  the  i;ame  authority  ?  But 
we  are  not  left  to  inferences  and  conjectures  upon  this  sub- 
ject. The  Church  of  Rome  is  so  fully  determined  to  impress 
upon  her  children  their  duty  of  forcing  Romanism  upon  all 
who  may  be  under  their  influence,  that  she  enjoins  that  intol-. 
erant  principle  under  an  oath.  The  most  solemn  declaration 
of  the  Romanist  faith  ends  in  words  which,  translated  into 
English,  are  as  follow:  "  This  true  Catholic  Faith,  out  of  lohich 
none  can  he  saved,  ivhich  I  now  freely  pi'ofess  and  truly  hold, 
I  promise,  vow,  and  swear,  to  retaiii  {ivith  God's  assistance) 
whole  and  entire  to  my  life's  end,  and  to  procure  to  the  extent  of 
my  power,  that  all  my  subjects,  or  those  who,  by  virtue  of  my  of' 
Jice,  may  be  under  my  care,  shall  hold,  teach,  and  preach  the 
sameT  This  oath  was  framed  by  the  Council  of  Trent,  with 
a  determination  to  tender  it  to  all  persons  in  power  ;  and  is 
taken,  even  in  this  Protestant  kingdom,  by  all  Romans,  Bish- 
ops and  dignitaries.  If  this  be  not  a  proof,  that  checking  and 
opposing  every  religion  but  that  of  the  Pope,  is  considered  a 
strict  duty  by  the  Church  of  Rome,  all  sound  reasoning  is  at 
an  end. 

R.  Do  you  suppose  that  any  free-born  Briton  could  approve 
of  anything  like  the  Inquisition  ? 

A.  I  have  a  very  high  opinion  of  the  British  character ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  am  too  well  acquainted  with  the  baneful 
effects  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  upon  the  mind.  I  hope 
that  few  among  the  subjects  of  Great  Britain  are,  in  their 
hearts,  abetters  of  that  darling  of  the  Romish  Church — the 
Inquisition.  But  I  know  that  a  dignified  Spanish  Clergy- 
man, who  was  in  London  a  few  years  ago,  met  with  English 


AGAINST    POrERY.  361 

Roman  Catholics  who  declared  their  approbation  of  (he  Inqui- 
sition. In  the  preface  to  a  history  of  that  inftunous  tribunal, 
which  he  published  in  the  year  1818,  he  has  the  words  which 
1  am  going  to  give  you  translated  from  the  French:  '' During 
my  residence  in  London,  I  heard  some  Roman  Catholics  sat/, 
that  the  Inqmsition  was  useful  in  Spain  for  the  ■preservation  of 
the  Catholic  Faith;  and  that  it  would  have  been  well  for  France 
if  it  had  had  a  similar  establishment.'''''^  This  he  asserts,  not 
to  attack  the  Roman  Catholics,  for  he  died  in  the  communion 
of  their  Church,  but  as  n  simple  fact. 

R.   I  am  quite  surprised ! 

A.  I  am  not  surprised  at  all.  It  is  when  I  hear  uf  Roman 
Catholics  who  engage  not  to  persecute  Protestants,  even  if 
they  had  the  power,  that  I  am  seized  with  astonishment. — 
How  can  the  spiritual  children  of  Rome  be  so  unlike  their 
mother?  Was  it  not  the  chuVch  of  Rom^^  that  in  Spain,  urged 
the  burning  of  thirty-one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twelve  dis- 
senters from  her  doctrines,  and  that  punished  with  imprison- 
ment, fine,  confiscation,  and  public  infamy-  '*"" ,  .tundred  and 
ninety-one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty,  wdio  saved  their 
lives  by  recantation?  Was  it  not  by  the  same  authority  that 
in  this  kingdom  of  England,  and  during  the  four  years  of  the 
reign  of  Queen  Mary,  two  hundred  and  eighty  persons  were 
burnt  alive;  the  number  of  those  who  perished  in  prison,  for 
not  turning  Papists,  being  unknown?  If  this  sanguinary 
church  acknowledged  her  error,  if  she  confessed  that  she  was 
misled  by  the  ignorance  and  bigotry  of  old  tmies,  (though  she 
Herself  had  undoubtedly  caused  that  ignorance  and  bigotry,) 
we  might  believe  that  her  children  had  also  put  ofl*  their  per- 
secuting character.  But  when  has  mortal  man  heard  that 
the  Church  of  Rome  ever  whispered  a  regret  for  the  torrents 
of  blood  with  which  she  has  cb'cnched  the  earth?  Her  Span- 
ish Inquisition  existed  till  within  the  last  five  years.  The 
Pope  restored  it  in  1814,  and  his  Bishops  are  at  this  moment 
doing  every  thing  to  revive  it.  But  what  is  the  existence  or 
abolition  of  the  Inquisition,  but  a  mere  external  symptom  of 
power  or  want  of  it,  to  put  the  invariable  principle  of  Roman- 
ist intolerance  into  practice?  The  cruel  deeds  v)f  the  Romish 
Church  are  nothing  but  a  republication,  in  blood,  of  the  ar- 
ticles of  her  Faith  stamped  in  every  copy  of  tlie  decrees  of 
Trent.  How  then  can  I  believe  that  sincere  Roman  Catho- 
lics have  renounced  persecution?     When  a  man's  ho]<cs   of 

*Llorente's  History  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition.  Paris  edition,  I8I8,  vol.  1. 
p.  xxii. 

2  H 


369  PKESERVATIVK  AGAINST  POPEKT. 

eternal  happiness  are  bound  up  in  a  persecuting  creed,  ho  maj 
indulge  in  toleration  as  he  does  in  sin,  under  a  sense  of  spirit 
ual  danger,  and  a  hope  of  future  amendment:  in  the  hey-day 
of  life  he  will  be  for  letting  every  man  have  his  way;  but  I 
would  not  trust  my  liberty  and  my  life  into  his  hands,  differ 
ing,  as  I  do,  fi'om  his  creed,  when  he  turns  his  thoughts  to 
r^igion,  and  begins  his  course  of  Romish  repentance 

jR,  I  had  never  till  now  beheved  that  intolerance  and  per- 
secution could  be  taught  by  Christians  as  necessar}  for  sal- 
vation. 

A.  One  benefit,  I  trust  in  God's  grace,  you  will  at  least 
derive  from  the  clear  proofs  I  have  given  you,  that  such  is  the 
doctrmc  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Convinced  as  you  must  be, 
that  she  makes  persecution  an  essential  part  of  her  creed, 
you  will  bear  that  faci^  »*^  mind,  if  ever  her  emissaries  should 
try  their  arts  to  seduce  you  from  your  Protestant  profession. — 
VVhenever  you  shall  hear  the  often  told  story  of  St.  Peter  and 
his  Primacy,  you  have  only  to  remember  the  t}Tannous  doc- 
trine and  conduct  of  the  Popes  which  have  grown  out  of  that 
threadbare  fiction.  Compare  the  government  of  the  pretend- 
ed successors  of  Peter,  with  the  model  of  a  Christian  Pastor 
which  Peter  himself  has  left  in  his  first  Epistle.  "  Feed," 
he  says,  "the  flock  of  God  which  is  among  you,  taking  the 
oversight  thereof,  NOT  BY  CONSTRAINT,  but  willingly;  not  for 
FILTHY  LUCRE,  but  of  a  ready  mind;  neither  as  being  lords 
over  god's  heritage,  but  by  being  ensamples  to  the  flock."* 
There  needs  not  much  learning  to  rebut  all  the  pretensions  of 
the  Romish  Church,  when  you  coini)are  her  Popish  government 
with  this  passage.  You  have  only  to  remember  the  constraint 
and  bloodshed  by  which  the  Popes  obtained  at  one  time  the 
oversight  of  the  flock  of  God :  the  filthy  lucre  which  at  this 
very  day  is  the  effect  of  their  indulgences  and  dispensations; 
and  lastly,  to  observe  the  lordly  manner  in  which  they  still 
claim  the  spiritual  dominion  of  this  and  all  other  countries 
which  have  shaken  off  their  tyrannical  and  usuiped  authority. 
Remember  all  this,  and  beware,  my  friend,  of  the  guiles  and 
arts  of  a  Church,  which,  even  at  this  moment,  looks  upo^ 
you  and  your  brother  Protestants  as  runaway  slaves,  whom 
she  does  not  punish,  from  mere  want  of  power,  and  rest  as- 
sured, that  where  there  is  so  much  spirit  of  pride  and  hmbi- 
tion^  itie  Christian  spirit  must  have  been  nearly  quenched. 

•1  Peter  V.  2.  3. 


defects;  occurring  in  the  mass. 


NO.  I. 

A  Cdrious  extract  from  the  Roman  Missal,  p.  53,  &lc.  "  re- 
specting Defects  occurring  in  the  Mass."  Thayer's  Ccn- 
tro.  p.  71.  7i). 

*  Mass  may  be  defective  in  the  Matter  to  be  consecrate',],  in 
(he  form  to  be  used,  and  in  the  officiating  Minister.  For  if  in 
any  of  these  there  be  any  detect,  viz.  due  Matter,  Form,  with 
Intension,  and  Priestly  Orders  in  the  celebrator,  there  is  no 
Bacrament  consecrated.' 

The  defects  in  the  hi'ead. 

1st.  "  If  the  bread  be  not  of  wheat,  or  if  of  wheat,  if  it  be 
mixed  with  such  quantity  of  other  grain,  that  it  duth  not  re- 
main wheaten  bread;  or  if  it  be  in  any  way  corrupted,  it  doth 
not  make  a  sacrament." 

2d.  *  If  it  be  made  with  rose  or  other  distilled  water,  'lis 
doubtful  if  it  make  a  sacrament. 

3d.  'U  it  begin  to  corrupt,  but  is  not  corrupted:  also,  if  it 
be  not  unleavened  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Latin 
Church,  it  makes  a  sacrament;  but  the  Priest  sins  grievously. 

Of  the  defects  of  the  Wine. 
^     'If  the  wine  be  quite  sour,  or  putrid,  or  be  made  of  bitter 
or  unripe  grapes :  or  if  so  much  water  be  mixed  with  it,  as 
spoils  the  wine,  no  sacrament  is  made. 

*  If  after  the  consecration  of  the  body,  or  even  of  the  wine^ 
the  defect  of  either  kind  be  discovered,  one  being  consecrated  ^ 
then,  if  the  matter  which  should  be  placed  cannot  be  had,  to 
avoid  scandal,  he  must  proceed. 

The  defects  in  the  form. 
"  If  any  one  shall  leave  out,  or  change  any  part  of  the  form 
of  the  consecration  of  the  body  and  blood,  and  in  the  change 
of  the  words,  such  words  do  not  signify  the  samo  thiDg  there 
is  no  consecration. 

The  defects  of  the  Minister. 
"  The  defects  on  tiie  part  of  the  Minister,  may  occur  ia 
these  things  required  in  him.     These  are  first  and  especially 

3C3 


364  DEFECTS  OCCURRING 

Intention,  after  that  disposition  of  soul,  of  body,  ot  vestments, 
and  disposition  in  tiie  service  itself,  as  to  those  matters  which 
can  occur  in  it. 

"L"  any  one  intend  not  to  consecrate,  but  to  counterfeit 
also,  if  any  wafers  remain  forgotten  on  the  altar,  or  if  any  par* 
of  the  wine,  or  any  wafer  lie  hidden,  when  he  did  not  intend 
to  consecrate  but  what  he  saw;  also,  if  he  shall  have  before 
him  eleven  wafers  and  intended  to  consecrate  but  ten  only, 
not  determining  what  ten  he  meant,  in  all  these  cases  the 
consecration  fails,  because  Intention  is  required." 

Reader,  Art  thou  not  astonished?  It  is  admitted  1st,  That 
to  offer  up  a  false  Mass  to  God,  or  take  a  false  sacrament,  or 
worship  a  false  host,  is  sacrilegious,  and  is  damnable  idolatry 
.2d,  that  one  case  is  doubtful,  but  twelve  are  certain,  in  any 
one  of  which,  the  consecration  fails,  and  there  is  no  true  sa- 
crament, and  then  the  Mass  service  is  sacrilege  and  idolatry!' 
And  should  the  priest,  as  he  serves,  discover  any  of  these  de-- 
fects,  but  can't  mend  it,  he  must  proceed,  rather  than  let  the 
people  understand  it,  and  therefore  plunge  them  and  himself 
into  these  miseries  I  Has  Christ,  I  ask,  ever  taught  such 
principles?  And,  if  to  guard  against  these  dangers,  is  plainly 
impossible;  then,  for  any  man  to  be  safe  in  that  church  must 
be  clearly  impossible.     But  let  us  see  the  rest  of  it. 

'  Should  the  consecrated  host  disappear,  either  by  accident, 
or  by  wind,  or  miracle,  or  be  swallowed  by  some  animal,  and 
cannot  be  found;  then  let  another  be  consecrated.' 

'  If  after  consecration,  a  gnat,  a  spider,  or  any  such  thing, 
fall  into  the  chalice,  let  the  Priest  swallow  it  with  the  blood, 
if  he  can;  but  if  he  fear  danger  and  have  a  loathing,  let  him 
take  it  out,  and  wash  it  with  wine,  and  when  Mass  is  ended, 
burn  it,  and  cast  it  and  the  washing  into  holy  ground.' 

'  If  poison  fall  into  the  chalice,  or  what  might  cause  vomit- 
ing, let  the  consecrated  wine  be  put  into  another  cup,  and 
other  wine  with  water  be  again  placed  to  be  consecrated,  and 
when  Mass  is  finished,  let  the  blood  be  poured  on  linen 
cloth,  or  tow,  remain  till  it  be  dry,  and  then  be  burned,  and  the 
ashes  be  thrown  into  holy  ground.' 

*  If  the  host  be  poisoned,  let  another  be  consecrated  and 
used,  and  that  be  kept  in  a  tabernacle,  or  a  separate  place 
until  it  be  corrupted,  and  after  that  be  throv/n  into  holy  ground. 

'  If  in  winter  the  blood  be  frozen  in  the  cup,  put  warm 
cloths  about  the  cup;  if  that  will  not  do,  let  it  be  put  int..  boil 
iiig  water  near  the  altar,  till  it  be  melted,  taking  care  it  does 
uot  get  into  the  cup.' 


IN  THE  MASS.  365 

*  If  any  of  the  blood  of  Christ  fall  on  the  ground  by  negli- 
gence, it  must  be  licked  up  with  the  tongue,  the  place  be  suffi- 
ciently scraped,  and  the  scrapings  burned;  but  the  ashes  must 
he  buried  in  holy  ground.' 

*  If  the  Priest  vomit  the  Eucharist,  and  the  species  appeal' 
entire  ne  must  piously  swalloiv  it  again,  but  if  a  nausea  pre- 
vent him,  then  let  the  consecrated  species  be  cautiously  sepa- 
rated, and  put  by  in  some  holy  place  till  they  be  corrupted, 
and  after,  let  them  be  cast  into  holy  ground;  but  if  the  species 
do  not  appear,  the  vomit  must  be  burned  and  the  ashes  thrown 
into  holy  ground.' — Marvellous! 

The  oath  of  the  Papal  Clergy  is,  "that  the  Host  is  Christ- 
body  and  bleed,  soul  and  divinity,"  (see  their  creed;)  yet 
they  confess,  as  above,  this  cannot  be  known,  how  desperate 
then  is  such  oath!  By  this  document  they  inform  us,  that 
their  Host  (i.  e.)  Christ,  can  be  lost  by  accident  or  by  wind,  or 
be  eaten  by  animals,  as  mites,  or  mice,  or  dogs,  &:.c.  or  by 
the  spider  or  fly  which  may  fall  into  the  cup,  and  which  the 
priest  uTust  sw^allow  if  he  can;  or  that  he  may  be  bound  up  in 
frost,  and  be  released  by  hot  water,  &c.  or  be  poisoned,  and 
poured  on  tow,  and  dried,  and  then  must  be  burned ;  or  may 
fall,  or  be  spilled  and  licked  off  the  ground  by  the  priest's 
tongue,  and  be  swallowed,  and  may  be  eaten  by  him  and  vom- 
ited up  again,  and  then  must  be  taken  out  of  the  vomit,  and  be 
worshipped,  and  devoutly  swallowed  again!  Shocking  infat- 
uation. Now  will  not  common  sense  itself,  ask.  Do  any  of 
these  things  ever  happen  to  the  true  Christ,  the  son  of  Mary? 
Has  he  been  ever  swallowed  by  spiders,  or  flies,  mites,  mice, 
or  by  priests,  or  lain  in  their  vomit?  Has  he  been  ever  frozen 
up  in  a  cup,  or  poured  out  on  tow,  and  burned?  if  not,  then, 
Christ  was  not  thus  eaten  by  flies,  rats,  mice,  priests,  &c.  &lc. 
and,  nevertheless,  he  was  eaten  by  them,  which  involves  m^any 
contradictions  or  falsehoods.  But  if  the  true  Christ  be  not 
thus  eaten  by  these  things — the  host,  Vvhich,  it  is  confessed, 
may  meet  all  these  accidents,  is  not  the  true,  but  a  fictitious 
papal  Christ.  Had  not  these  hideous  doctrines  and  monstrous 
and  degrading  absurdities,  been  thus  written,  and  openly 
avowed  and  defended  in  their  own  books,  so  that  with  our  own 
eyes  we  can  behold  them,  who  couid  be  pcisuaded  to  believe, 
that  any  church  <.  i  society  of  rational  beings,  could  for  a  mo- 
ment entertain  them?  Strong  indeed  musC  he  that  delusion 
by  which  the  Papal  Doctors  are  thus  so  deeply  'niatctaied  aud 
corrupted,  as  to  adhere  to  such  a  religion' 
2  II  2 


366  DEFECTS  OCCURRING 

NO.   II. 

The  Trent  Creed  under  Pope  Pius  IV.  to  which  the  Papal 
Clergy  are  bound  by  oath. 

The  Bali  of  Pius  IV.  by  divine  providence,  Pope,  relative 
to  the  FORiM  OF  OATH  OP  the  profession  of  the  faith. 

Pius,  Bishop,  the  servant  of  the  servants  of  God,  for  the 
perpetual  remembrance  of  this  deed. 

"  Injmictiim  nobis  ApostoliccB  servitutis  oj^xium,  <!^"c."  "  The 
office  of  our  apostolical  ministry  enjoins  us  to  hasten  and  exe- 
cute these  decisions  of  the  holy  fathers,  with  which  the  Al- 
mighty God  has,  for  the  good  of  his  church,  inspired  them,  &lc. 
Whereas,  therefore,  by  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  all 
pastors  who  shall  henceforth  be  placed  over  cathedrals  and  su- 
perior churches  and  their  dependencies,  or  who,  entrusted  with 
the  care  of  souls,  are  provided  for,  must  be  obliged  to  make 
public  profession  of  the  orthodox  faith,  and  to  promise  and 
sii'ear,  that  they  will  continue  obedient  to  the  church  of  Rome : 
We,  desirous,  that  all  this  should  be  diligently  attended  to  by 
all  so  entrusted,  and  in  whatsoever  department,  wh'ether  in 
monasteries,  convents,  houses,  and  such  like  places,  whether 
called  regular,  military,  or  by  what  name  soever,  and  that  the 
profession  of  the  same  faith  might  be  uniformly  exhibited  to 
all,  and  that  one  only  and  certain  form  of  it,  might  be  made 
known  to  all  men,  and  published  in  every  nation,  by  those 
whom,  under  the  pi-escribed  penalties,  it  concerns,  strictly  com- 
mand, by  our  apostolical  authority,  that  the  following  afore- 
said profession  of  faith  be  solemnly  made,  according  to  this 
form  only,  &c. 

"Ego,  N.firmajide  credo,  S^^c. — I,  N.  firmly  believe  and  pro- 
fess all  and  every  thing  contained  in  this  Creed,  which  the  ho- 
ly Roman  Church  useth,  viz. 

"I  believe  in  one  God,  Father  Almighty,  maker  of  heaven 
and  earth,  and  of  all  things  visible  and  invisible,  and  in  one 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  ■>nly  begotten  son  of  God — by  whom  all 
things  were  made;  who  for  us  men,  and  for  our  salvation,  came 
down  f^om  heaven,  and  was  incarnated  by  the  Holy  Ghost  of 
ihe  Virgm  xMary,  and  was  made  man;  was  crucified  also  for  us 
under  Pontius  Pilate,  he  sufTered  and  was  buried;  and  rose 
again  the  third  day,  according  to  the  Scriptures;  and  ascended 
mro  Heaven,  and  sitteth  at  the  x^ght  hand  of  God  the  Father; 
and  shall  come  again  with  glory  to  judge  the  living  and  the 
dead,  of  whose  kingdom  there  shall  bo  no  end;  and  in  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Lord  and  giver  of  life,  &c. — and  one  holy 
Catholic,  and  apostolic  church,"  «&ic. 


i:^  THE   MASS.  367 

The  oath  on  Schoolmasters  and  Doctors — 

"Ad  hoc  omnes  ii  ad  quos  universitatum^''''  S^c.  "Moreover, 
all  those  to  v/hom  the  care,  visitation  or  reform  of  universities 
and  general  studies  belong,  must  take  diligent  care,  that  the  ca- 
nons and  decrees  of  this  holy  synod,  be  received  entire  by 
til  :se  universities,  and  that  according  to  these  rules,  the  mas- 
ter, doctors,  and  other  teachers  in  such  universities,  may  teach 
and  interpret  those  things  which  belong  to  the  Catholic  faith, 
and  that  they  bind  themselves  hy  a  solemn  oath,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  each  year,  to  this  observance."  C.  Trent,  Sess.  xxv. 
cap.  2. 

Thus,  by  these  authentic  documents,  it  is  evident,  that  tke 
Papal  Clergy  are  obliged  to  be  sworn  on  the  Gospels,  three 
times;  1st.  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  2d.  to  the  Pope,  and  3d. 
to  believe  and  propagate  her  doctrines,  and,  by  the  same  oaths, 
to  oppose  every  thing  contrary  thereto, — (and  so  were  school- 
masters sworn.)  This  accounts  for  that  constant  watch  they 
keep  lest  the  people  should  hear  or  read  any  doctrine  but  their 
own,  lest  they  should  get  enlightened.  How  ignorant  of 
all  this  craft  are  the  people  kept,  and  how  astonishing,  if  not 
miraculous,  that  the  Gospel  of  truth  has  broken  forth  from 
all  those  dire  and  ingenious  trammels. 

Observations  on  the  above  Papal  Creed  and  its  notorious  con- 
tradictions. 

Obser.  1 — The  Council  of  Nice,  which  in  325  framed  the 
Nicene  Creed,  pronounces  in  one  of  its  canons,  any  man,  that 
shall  thenceforth  add  any  more  articles  of  faith  than  those  then 
specified,  accursed.  And  Pope  Celestine,  an.  423,  in  his  Epis- 
tle to  Nestorious  in  defence  of  that  creed,  has  these  words,, "  Who 
is  not  adjudged  worthy  of  an  anathema,  that  either  adds  or  takes 
away  from  it?  For, that  faith  which  was  declared  by  the  apos- 
tles requires  neither  addition  or  diminution."  But  the  Coun- 
cil of  Trent  and  Pope  Pius,  in  1564,  fear  not,  in  the  face  of 
all  this,  to  add  12  new  articles  at  a  stroke,  nor  once  blush  to 
pronounce  those  who  shall  presume  to  refuse  them,  accursed. 
And  although  these  Councils  thus  contradict  and  curse  each 
other,  yet  the  Papal  Doctors  are  sicoi'n  to  believe  and  teach 
both  are  infallible!!  And  that  although  both  creeds  plainly 
ccf.tradict  one  another,  as  shall  presently  appear,  yet  they  aie 
nevertheless  one  and  the  same  true  faith!  risujn  tencatisi 

Obser.  2. — The  old  part  of  this  creed  declares,  "Christ  was 
incarnated  by  the  Holy  Ghost  of  the  Virgin  Marv,  and  was 
made  man."     But  in  the  5th  article  of  the  new  part  of  tha 


369  DEFECTS    Ot'^URRI^'G 

same,  it  is  defined  and  declared,  "  tliat  Christ's  body  and  bloocJ 
are  really,  substantially,  and  truly  made,  by  consecration,  of 
the  whole  substance  of  the  bread,  and  of  the  whole  substance 
of  the  wine."  Here  then  are  two  sorts  of  Christs,  from  entire- 
ly different  sources,  exhibited  in  one  compound  creed.  By 
one  part  thereof,  Christ  was  born,  crucified  and  suffered,  was 
buried,  rose  again,  ascended  into  heaven,  sitteth  at  the  right 
hand  of  God,  and  shall  come  to  judge  all  men,  6oc.  But,  by  the 
other,  he  was  not  born,  but  made  of  bread,  &c.  nor  did  any  of 
tliesG  things!  and  yet  the  Papal  Clergy  are  sworn,  to  believe 
and  teach  they  are  the  same!  As  all  these  contradictions  are^ 
to  he  sure,  divine  truths !  so,  their  people,  rational  beings,  must 
believe  it,  because  their  clergy  direct  them  to  do  so!'.! 

Observ.  3. — By  the  1st  article,  traditions,  and  Papal  Decrees 
&c.  (mere  inventions  of  men)  must  be  admitted  and  embraced 
too;  but  by  the  2d,  the  holy  scripture  is,  coldly,  to  be  admit- 
ted only,  not  embraced.,  and  that  under  most  severe  and  cau- 
tious restrictions. — Who  can  forbear  noticing  this?  And  when 
we  turn  to,  Sess.  iv.  Decretum  de  Edit.  &c.  An.  1546,  and  to 
the  rules,  de  libris  prohibitis,  framed  by  the  Council  in  March, 
1584,  their  dread  of  the  scriptures,  it  is  manifest,  cannot  be 
concealed.     From  her  index,  take  the  following  extracts — 

Rule  4.  Cum  experimento  manifestum  sit,  S^^c. — "  Whereas, 
t  is  plain  by  experience,  were  the  holy  scriptures  read  every 
where  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  more  injury  than  good  would  fol- 
low, yet  if  permission  to  read  translations  of  the  Bible  made 
by  Catholics  only,  may  Le  safely  granted  to  some,  who  by 
such  reading  may  reap  godly  benefit,  must  rest  with  the  judg- 
ment of  the  bishop  or  inquisitor,  together  with  the  counsel  of 
their  parish  priest.  In  such  cases  it  may  be  given,  but  they 
must  have  a  license  from  the  bishop  in  writing.  Qui  autem 
absque  tali  facultate  ea  legere  seu  habere  preswnserit,  nisi  pri- 
iis  bibliis  ordinario  redditis,  peccatorum  absolution  em  preci- 
pcre  non  posset,  S,'c.  "But  he  that  without  such  license,  shall 
presume  to  read  or  have  such  books,  unless  he  instantly  de- 
liver them  up  to  the  ordinary,  cannot  be  capable  of  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  sins.  And  the  bookseller,  who  without  such  li- 
cense, shall  sell  or  otherwise  grant  the  bible  in  the  vulgar 
tongue,  &c.  shall  forfeit  the  price  of  the  books,  and  be  other- 
wise punisbed  at  the  bishop's  discretion,  according  to  the  na- 
ture of  his  offence — nor  may  the  monks,  without  such  license 
Trom  their  Prelates,  read  or  buy  them. 

Rule  X. — "  Liberum  tamen  Episcopis,  &c." — "But,  yet, 
..he  Bishop.?  or  Inquisitors  general,  are  by  their  license,  w  hicli 


O    THE    >IA9^  SOU 

they  have  luthorized  to  prohibit  in  their  kingdoms,  provinces, 
or  dioceses,  those  very  books  that  appear  to  be  permitted  by 
those  rules,  if  they  shall  judge  fit."  So,  after  all  the  pains  of 
procuring  this  said  license,  it  can  be  rendered  null  in  an  in- 
stant, and  then  the  Bible  must  not  be  read. 

Ad  extremum  vero  omnibus  Jidelihus,  <^c.— "Lastly,  the 
faithful  are  commanded,  that  none  must  dare  read  or  have  any 
books  contrary  to  the  prescribed  rules  of  this  Index;  but  if  any 
one  shall  read  or  have  books  of  heretics,  or  of  any  author  on 
heresy,  or  condemned  and  prohibited  on  suspicion  of  false 
dogmas^  he  instantly  incurs  the  sentence  of  excommunication. 
And  he  that  shall  read  or  have  books  of  any  name  that  are  so 
forbidden  him,  besides  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin  into  which  he 
falls,  he  must  be  severely  punished,  according  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Bishops." 

Behold  how  difficult  it  has  been  to  obtain  leave  to  read  the 
word  of  God,  even  when  translated  by  Roman  Catholics  them- 
selves! See  what  dread  this  church  ever  had  of  the  Bible. — 
Thank  God!  the  darkness  is  greatly  passed,  and  the  true  light 
is  increasing. 

Obser.  4. — This  3d  new  article  of  faith  is  unqualified  jar- 
gon; for,  seven  christian  sacraments,  (as  per.  Sess.  VII.  Can. 
I.)  are  insisted  on,  as  instituted  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  is  proved  false. 

Holy  Orders  and  Ext.  Unction  clearly  destroy  each  other; 
and  if  no  sacrament  can  be  v/ithout  Christ's  own  institution, 
such  as  Baptism  and  the  Eucharist  alone  have,  then,  none  of 
the  other  five  are  christian  sacraments,  because,  for  them  no 
institution  from  Christ  can  be  found — "The  matter  or  visible 
sign  of  Holy  Orders,"  says  Challenor,(p.  131,  C.  Chris.  Inst.) 
"is  imposition  of  hands  by  a  Bishop  and  prayer,  and  the  insti- 
tution is  from  Luke  xxii.  19.  Do  this  in  rememhrance  of  mep 
but  Christ  never  laid  his  hands  on  the  Apostles  to  make  them 
Priests,  nor  commanded  it;  (nor  ever  made  them  Priests,  as  is 
proved,  p.  156.)  Hence  Holy  Orders,  being  without  sign, 
matter,  or  institution  from  Christ,  is  no  christian  sacrament, 
but  a  papal  fiction. 

"As  to  Penance,"  says  Challenor,  p.  94.  "it  consists  of  con- 
trition, confession  and  satisfaction,  and  the  Priest's  absolution. 
Confession,  is  a  full  and  sincere  accusv  tion  made  to  a  Priest, 
of  all  mortal  sins,  a  person  can  remember :  and  satisfaction  is 
a  faithful  performance  of  the  penance  enjoined  by  the  Priests, 
p.  163 — which  penance  is  enjoined,  as  an  exchange  which  God 
mako5  of  the  eternal  punishments  which  we  have  deserved  by 


S70  DEFECTS    CJCUSRING 

sin,  into  these  small  penitential  works,  p.  104. — Yet  it  is  to  le 
feared  Ihat  the  penance  enjoined  is  seldom  sufficient  to  take 
off  all  tlie  punishment  due  to  God's  justice  on  account  of  our 
sins."  p  105  The  penitent  afier  confession,  must  say,  'I  beg 
pardon  of  God,  and  penance  and  ahsoiution  from  you,  my 
ghostly  father,'  and  the  Priest  then  gives  the  absolution,  and 
adds,  "Maj^  the  passion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  merits 
of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  of  the  Saints,  and  whatsoever 
good  thou  shalt  do,  or  whatsoever  evil  thou  shalt  suffer,  be  tc 
thee  unto  the  remission  of  thy  sin?,  the  increase  of  grace,  6lc  " 
Most  shocking  and  anti-scriptural  doctrine ! 

If  Christ's  death  on  the  cross  be  a  full,  and  the  only  satis- 
faction far  all  sin,  and  that  his  precious  merits  and  mterces- 
sion  alone,  be  the  sinner's  only  hope,  as  is  testified  by  all  the 
sacred  writers ;  and  if  a  wretched  sinner,  the  moment  he  be- 
lieves this,  and  submitting  himself  to  Christ,  calls  upon  his 
name,  "hath  everlasting  life,  passes  from  death  unto  life,  and. 
shall  not  come  itito  condemnation,"  John  v.  24.  Rom.  viii.  1.; 
If  "the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,"  1  John,  i. 
7.  If  "God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself, 
not  imputing  their  trespasses  unto  them,"  2  Cor.  v.  19.;  And 
if  "all  that  believe  in  Christ  v/ith  a  heart  unto  righteousness, 
are  justified  from  all  things."  Acts  xiii.  39;  the  above  doctrine 
must  be  false.  Besides,  if  Christ  never  appointed  any  such 
private  confession  of  mortal  sin,  nor  any  such  penance  or  ab- 
solution, nor  any  visible  sign  of  any  such  sacrament,  nor  was 
any  such  thing  ever  practised  by  the  apostles,  and  hence,  thai 
it  is  therefore  only  a  papal  fiction,  what  can  be  imaginod  more 
blasphemous  against  Christ,  and  subversive  of  his  gospel, 
more  delusive  to  a  sinner,  and  destructive  of  his  true  hope  and 
salvation,  and  at  the  same  time,  more  pharisaic  and  better  cal- 
culated to  enhance  the  Priest's  power  over  the  people,  than 
the  above  mischievous  and  anti-christian  doctrine  of  papal 
penance.  Yet,  after  all  the  parade  about  it,  the  hopes  excited 
of  its  many  and  great  benefits,  p.  102,  they  grant,  "If  the 
Priest,  to  whom  this  confession  is  made,  has  not  the  necessary 
faculties  and  approbation,  and  also  true  intention,  the  penance 
is  null."  But  these  things  are  impossible  to  be  known  or 
guarded  against  by  Priests  or  pec  pie;  hence,  such  penance  is 
extrem?  folly.  But  repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  in 
Christ,  is  the  only  safe  and  gos|iel  way;  this  can  deceive  nu 
man. 

With  regard  to  Invocation  of  Saints,  in  additicn  to  what  has 


IX    THE    MASS  371 

neen  filready  said,  its  novelty  and  im;)iety  are  net  forth  by  the 
following  striliing  testimonies. 

^^Saith  St.  Augustine,  de  civ.  Dei  I.  8.  Si  rex  constituerit  in- 
tcrcessorem,  S^c. — "When  a  king  has  constituted  one  certain 
intercessor,  he  is  not  pleased  that  any  causes  should  be  brought 
him  by  others.  So,  as  Christ  is  appointed  our  High  Priest  and 
Intercessor,  why  do  we  seek  others? 

^^Solent  tamen  jpudorem,''''  &c.  saiih  St.  Ambrose,  "Tlie 
Heathen  Idolaters,  to  cover  the  shame  (<^  neglecting  God,  used 
this  miserable  excuse,  that  by  these  mcu  rators  they  might  go 
to  God,  as  by  his  officers  we  may  approac  "i  a  king." 

"Go  to,  is  any  man  so  mad,  or  unrr.indfui  of  his  own  safety 
as  to  give  the  king''s  honor  to  his  officers?  whereas,  if  any  be 
found  even  to  treat  of  such  a  matter,  they  are  justly  condemn- 
ed as  guilty  of  insulting  the  king's  majesty.  It  is  for  this  rea- 
son that  men  go  to  a  king  by  tribunes  or  officers,  because  the 
king  is  but  a  man,  and  knov/eth  not  to  whom  he  .^hould  entrust 
the  commonwealth.  But  to  procure  the  favor  «  f  God,  from 
whom  nothing  is  hid,  and  who  knov,s  the  qualities  of  all  men, 
we  need  no  spokesman  but  a  devout  mind." — Amhros  ad  Cap 
1.  ad  Rom. 

Says  St.  Chrysostom,  "when  thou  hast  need  to  sue  unto 
man,  thou  art  forced  firrt  to  deal  with  door-keepers,  and  en- 
treat parasites  and  such  like  persons  to  go  with  thee  a  long 
way  about;  epi  de  ton  tlicou  ouden  toiouton  estin,  but  with  God 
there  is  no  such  thing;  without  money,  without  cost,  he  yield- 
eth  to  thy  pra^'er."  Serm.  7.  de  poenit.  And  again,  Ora  gu- 
naikos  philosophia,  &c.  "Mark,"  says  he,  "the  wisdom  of  the 
woman  of  Canaan,  she  entreateth  not  James,  n^i-  beseecheth 
John,  nor  cometh  to  Peter,  but  brake  through  tl;c  whole  com 
pany  of  them,  saying,  'I  have  no  need  of  such  Mediators,  but 
taking  repentance  with  me  for  a  spokesman,  I  come  to  tlio 
fountain  itself;  for  this  cause  did  he  take  flesh  that  I  might 
have  boldness  to  speak  to  him.  I  have  no  need  of  a  mediaior, 
have  thou  mercy  on  me.'  " — DimissumChanaan.  Tom.  5. 

Thus,  these  Fathers,  w  ho  lived  so  near  the  Apostle's  days, 
judged  it  idolatry,  m  ^ness,  and  the  height  of  impiety  against 
God,  wlien  he  has  appointed  Christ,  his  son,  our  high  priest 
and  only  mediator,  (who  is  ever  ready  and  present  to  receive 
all  sinners  who  humbly  call  upon  him,  and  to  hear  their  pray- 
ers,) to  have  recourse,  neveriheless,  to  the  intercession  of  an- 
gels or  departed  saints,  "which  manner,"  saith  Chrysostom, 
••came  in  through  the  envy  of  the  devil." 

i  must  notice  the  Papal  doctrine  of  Baptism  by  Bossuet  and 


372  DKFECTS    0(  (TRRING 

the  Trent  Coiinc  1,  "As  infants  cannot  supply  the  TVJint  of 
Baptism,  by  acts  of  faith,  hope  and  charity,  nor  by  the  earnest 
desire  of  receivin;^  this  sacrament,  ice  helicve  if  they  do  not 
really  receive  it,  they  have  no  share  in  the  grace  of  the  redemp- 
tion, and  thus  dying  in  Adam,  they  have  no  inheritance  with 
Jesus  Christ?''  Con.  Trid.  Sess.  vi.  cap.  4.  Bossuct.  Exdos.  p. 
42.  DiiWin.  Edit.  1821. 

Thus  has  the  Papacy  '^nd  its  Doctors,  to  suhserve  their  own 
purposes,  poisoned  ahu^.st  every  part  of  the  christian  rehgion. 
As  this  astonishing  "F  iposition"  is  as  contrary  to  scripture,  as 
it  is  insulting  to  comnion  sense,  and  fraught  with  such  incon- 
ceivable impiety,  I  -^iiall  now  proceed  briciivj  by  reason  and 
scripture,  to  destroy  it. 

Arg.  1. — The  j  istand  merciful  God  does  not  require  impos- 
sibilities. To  say  he  does,  is  to  say  he  is  unjust  and  cruel, 
which  is  blasphemy.  But  to  most  infants.  Baptism  is  totally, 
and  to  all,  personally  impossible.  Hence,  can  no  blame  attach 
to  them,  and  they  can  suffer  nothing  for  dying  unbaptized ;  and 
hence  to  affirm,  "that  such  unbaptised  infants  have  no  share 
.n  the  grace  of  redemption,  nor  with  Christ,"  as  the  Papacy 
and  its  doctors  do,  is  to  teach,  God  is  unjust  and  cruel,  which, 
as  it  insults  reason,  so  is  it  monstrous  blasphemy  against  God's 
mercy  and  justice! 

Arg.  2. — That  God  instituted  Baptism  in  the  Christian 
Church,  as  he  did  circumcision  in  the  Jewish,  cannot  be  fairly 
aenied;  yet  neither  of  them  was  absolutely  essential  to  salva- 
tion;  for,  if  it  appear,  the  latter  was  not  so,  particularly  that 
of  infants,  so  neither  can  the  former  be.  Circumcision  was 
rather  a  sign  of  that  of  the  heart,  and  a  seal  of  the  covenant, 
as  St.  Paul  argues,  Rom.  ii.  20,  and  also  as  a  distinction  from 
the  heathen  world;  for  these  uses,  and  because  God  command- 
ed it,  it  was  necessary,  yet  not  essential  to  salvation ;  other- 
wise, all  the  infants  that  died  before  they  v/ere  eight  days  old, 
were,  by  God's  own  will  and  fault,  and  contrary  to  his  will  and 
word,  excluded  fi'om  Christ's  redemption,  and  heaven!  which 
to  affirm,  involves  unev-juivocal  blasphemy.  For,  by  his  com- 
mand, no  child  was  circumcised  before  eight  days  old;  and  He 
declares  "/te  wlUeth  not  that  any  should  perish,''"'  2  Peter  iii.  9. 
And  Christ  says,  ^Hhat  all  infants  are  of  the  kingdom  ofheav- 
tn."  Luke  xviii.  16. — Now,  if  all  the  Jewish  infants  who  died 
before  eight  days  old,  were  fully  saved  without  the  sacrament 
of  circumcision,  so,  (if  "G^od  be  no  respecter  of  persons,"^  as 
St.  Peter  says,)  must  all  the  infants  of  christians  who  may 
liappen  to  die  without  Baptism,  be  saved  likewise.     If  to  con' 


IN   THE    MASS.  3"/? 

tradict  this,  is  blaspliemy  against  God,  so  therefore  is  Bossuet's, 
and  the  Trent  doctrine,  "that  unbaptised  infants  can  have  no 
part  in  Christ'^s  redemption,  nor  in  heaven,''  a  fiat  contradiction 
to  truth,  and  palpable  blasphemy. 

Arg.  3. — St.  Paul  tells  us,  "that  although  condemnation 
came  by  one  man,  even  Adam's  offence,  Christ  brought  justi- 
fication to  life  to  all  men ;  and  that  no  sin  is  imput<3d  where 
there  is  no  law,"  Rom.  v.  18. — 2  Cor.  v.  19.  But  infuits 
know  not  any  law,  and,  therefore,  according  to  St.  Paul,  no 
sin  can  b(r  imputed  to  them;  again,  '•Hhe  son  shall  rot  bear  the 
sin  of  the  father  ^"^  except  the  son  himself  do  evil.— Ezck.  xviii. 
20.'  Hence  can  no  infant  suffer  for  any  sin.  Once  more,  the 
lioly  Virgin  and  the  Apostles  tell  us,  '''■that  God^s  mercy  is  on 
them  that  fear  him — that  glory,  honor,  and  peace  shall  be  on 
even  the  Gentile  that  worketh  good,  for  God  is  no  respecter  of 
persons.''''  Luke  i.  50. — Rom.  ii.  10 — 15,  26. — Acts  x.  34,  35 
If  then  such  God-fearing  Gentiles  are  saved  without  circumci- 
sion or  baptism,  as  these  afiirm,  so  must  their  infants  also. — 
Hence,  to  teach,  "that  the  infants  of  Christians  dying  without 
Baptism,,  have  no  part  in  redemption,  nor  in  heaven,  is  to  con- 
tradict the  Apostles  and  the  holy  Virgin,  and  all  reason  and 
scripture,  and  to  be  guilty  of  hideous  impiety.  And  hence, 
what  Christ  says  in  John  iii.  5,  as  he  cannot  require  impossi- 
bilities, so  it  cannot  apply  to  mfants,  but  to  those  who  hear  of, 
and  refuse  baptism  and  regeneration. 

With  regard  to  confirmation  and  matrimony,  however  these 
may  be  proper,  the  latter  especially  as  rites,  either  religious 
or  civil,  yet,  as  Christ  appointed  no  visible  signs  of  them,  as  he 
did  of  Baptism  and  Eucharist,  how  can  they  be  christian  Sa- 
craments? Impossible;  hence,  there  are  no  true  christian  sa- 
craments but  Baptism  and  Eucharist;  and  the  others,  being 
proved  Papal  fictions,  the  oath  of  the  clergy  "that  there  are 
seven  sacraments  appointed  by  Christ,"  is  most  contradictory 
and  desperate. 

As  pure  Christianity, — that  rational  and  holy  religion  which 
Christ  the  Lord  came  to  establish  on  earth,  not  by  force  or 
fraud,  but  by  gentleness,  prayers,  and  persuasion,  requires 
for  its  propagation  and  support,  no  other  weapons  but  those 
employed  and  enjoined  by  him;  and,  inviting  investigation, 
calls  fjr  no  other  aid,  but  a  fair  exhibition  of  ita  own  incompa- 
rable loveliness,  and  inestimable  excellencies,  .o  recommend 
it  to  man,  to  lead  him  into  the  paths  of  peace  and  everlasting 
felicity,  and  thus  at  once  displays  its  divine  origin:  So,  /hat 
system  of    eligion  that,  taking  a  directlv  contrary  course,  ano 

2  1' 


374  DEFECTS    OC;URRI?«tt 

because  of  its  deformity  manifestly  dreading  examination, 
hates  the  light,  dreads  the  bible,  insults  reason,  and  the  rights 
of  conscience,  and  has  recourse  to  various  wiles,  machinations 
and  violences  for  its  support  and  propagation,  unequivocally 
proclaims  to  all  men,  it  has  emanated  from  a  totally  different 
source.  Viewing,  then,  by  the  following  additional  documents^ 
the  line  of  conduct  the  Papacy  has  for  ages  pursued,  to  sup- 
port itself  and  propagate  its  doctrines,  the  conclusion  is  most 
obvious,  that  its  fountain  is  not  pure, — is  not  the  God  of  peace, 
of  light,  and  love. 

NO.   III. 

The  Oatlis  to  he  taken  to  defend  the  Papacy. 

The  Pope's  Oath. — By  the  general  Councils  of  Constance 
and  Basil,  it  is  stated,  '''That  all  Popes  mvM  be  obliged  to 
SWEAR  that  they  will  uphold  and  enforce  (generalium  conciliO' 
rumfidem,  S^c.)  the  faith  maintained  in  the  general  councils^  to 
the  least  tittle,  even  to  the  shedding  of  their  blood.'*'^  Concil. 
Const.  Sess.  89,  Basil,  Sess.  37. 

By  the  follov/ing  Councils  also,  Constance,  Sess.  12.  17.37; 
Lyons,  Tom.  11.  Binii,  p.  645.  Pisa,  Sess.  14.  Basil,  Sess. 
24.  34.  40.  46,  it  is  expressly  decreed,  "that  the  Pope  shall 
depose  and  deprive  Sovereign  Princes  of  their  dominions, 
the^r  dignity,  and  honor,  for  certain  misdemeanors,"  &c. 

Hear  the  lofty  language  of  Pope  Gregory  VIII.  "On  the 
part  of  the  Omnipotent  God,  I  forbid  Henry  IV.  to  govern  the 
kingdoms  of  Italy  and  Germany;  I  absolve  his  sul.jecls  from 
all  oaths  which  they  have  taken,  or  may  take  to  him;  and  I  ex- 
communicate every  person  v/ho  shall  serve  him  as  King." — 
Greg.  lib.  5,  Epist.  24. 

NO.  IV. 

The  Pope^s  Bull,  in  Ccena  Domini,  Sfc.  ivhich  per  art.  28, 
thereof  must  be  diligently  studied  by  the  Clergy,  and  (per  27  ih 
A7't.)  solemnly  published  in  the  Churclies  once  a  year  or  oftcn- 
er;  and  carefully  taught  the  people,  1638 — Tom.  8,  p.  183, 
Constit.  83,  Pauli  V.—The  Excommunication,  S^c. 

First  Article — "We  excommunicate  and  anathematize,  m 
the  name  of  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  h\  *.he 
authority  of  the  blessed  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul,  and  by  our 
own,  all  WickJ'.ffites,  Hussites,  Lutherans,  Calvinists,  Hugo- 
nots.  Anabaptists,  and  all  other  heretics,  by  whatsoever  namff 
they  are  called,  and  of  whatsoever  sect  they  be;  and  also,  all 
Schisii.atics,  and   those  who  withdraw  themselves,  or  recede 


IN    THE   MASS.  375 

obstinately  from  the  obedience  of  the  Bishop  of  Rcme;  as 
also  their  Adherents,  Receivers,  Favorers,  and  generally  any 
defenders  of  them: — together  with  all  who,  without  the 
authority  of  the  Apostolic  See,  shall  knowingly,  read,  keep,  or 
print,  any  of  their  Books  which  treat  on  Religion,  or  by  or 
for  any  cause  whatever,  publicly  or  privately,  on  any  pre- 
tence or  color  defend  them." 

The  Pope's  joy  at  the  murder  of  Protestants. 

Pope  Gregory  XIII.  in  1572,  upon  the  massacre  in  Paris  on 
St.  Bartholomew's  day,  caused  medals  to  be  struck  with  this 
inscription  about  his  image,  "Gregorius  XIII.  Pont.  JMax.  An. 
1.*'  and  on  the  reverse  side,  a  destroying  angel  holding  a 
cross  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other,  a  sword  thrusting,  with 
these  words,  "Hugonotorum  strages,  1572."  "The  slaughter 
of  the  Hugonots."  Voyage  to  Italy,  p.  15.  An.  168S.  See 
Rev.  xvii.  6. 

NO.  V. 

Bishop's  Oath. — In  addition  to  the  oaths,  stated  in  the 
Creed,  on  the  priests;  when  they  become  Bishops,  they  must 
be  again  sv/orn.  Richerius,  an  eminent  papal  divine  of  the 
15th  century,  and  Doctor  of  the  Sorbonne,  observed,  "That 
Pope  Gregory  VII.  contrary  to  the  custom  used  in  the  church 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  introduced  that  order,  "that 
all  bishops  must  swear  unlimited  fidelity  and  obedience  to  the 
pope,"  whence,  says  he,  "/Ae  liberty  of  all  suceeeding  councils 
was  taJcen  away?"^     Hist.  Concil.  lib.  c.  38.  Rich.  Apol.  Ax.  22. 

"I,  N.  N.  Bishop  elect,  of  the  See  of  N.  do  swear,  that,  from 
this  time  henceforth,  I  will  be  faithful  and  obedient  to  the 
blessed  Apostle  Peter,  to  the  holy  Church  of  Rome,  and  to 
our  Lord  the  Pope,  and  his  successors  canonically  appointed. 
I  will  to  my  utmost  defend,  increase,  and  advance,  the  rights, 
honors,  privileges,  and  authority  of  the  holy  Roman  Church 
of  our  Lord  the  Pope,  and  his  successors  aforesaid. — I  will  not 
join  in  any  consultation,  act  or  treaty,  in  which  any  thing 
shall  be  plotted  to  the  injury  of  the  rights,  honor,  state  and 
power  of  crur  Lord  the  Pope,  or  of  the  said  Church.  I  will 
keep  with  all  my  might  the  rules  of  the  holy  Fathers,  (i.  e.  of 
vhe  Council)  the  Apostolical  (Papal)  decrees,  ordinances,  dis 
posals,  reservations,  provisions  and  mandates;  and  cause  them 
to  be  observed  by  others.  Heretics,  Schismatics,  and  rebels  to 
our  said  Lord  the  Pope  and  his  successors  aforesaid,  I  will  to 
the  utmost  of  my  power  persecute  and  destroy."  Sub.  Jul.  lii. 
An.  1551. 


376  EXTIRPATIOX    OF    HERETICS 

Bisliop^s  obligation,  {Cone.  Benii.   Tom.  11.  p.  152.)     "If 

any  Bishop  be  negligent  in  purging  his  diocese  of  heretical 
pravity,  he,  by  the  3J  canon  of  ihe  4th  Lateran  Council,  must 
be  deprived  of  his  episcopal  dignity;  and  by  the  Council  of 
Constance  {Sess.  45.  Tom.  7.  p.  1122.)  and  by  the  Canon 
Law,  (Decretal  lib.  5.  tit.  7.  cap.  13.)  Bishops,  by  their  above 
oath  of  consecration,  are  bound  to  do  so.  And  the  punish- 
ment to  be  inflicted  on  the  heretics,  must  be  excommunication, 
confiscation  of  goods,  imprisonment,  exile,  or  death,"  as  the 
case  may  be.     Cojicil.  Bcnii.  Tom.  8. 

Concil.  Tom.  11.  p.  619,  "All  Inquisitors  of  heretical  prav- 
ity appointed  by  the  Pope,  all  Archbishops  and  Bishops,  in 
their  respective  provinces  and  dioceses,  with  their  officials, 
must  search  for  and  apprehend  heretics. — The  Civil  Magis- 
trate must  assist  them  under  severe  penalties  in  enquiring 
after,  taking,  and  spoiling  them,  by  sending  soldiers  with 
them,  p.  60S. — They  can  compel  the  whole  neighborhood  to 
swear  they  will  inform  the  Bishops  and  Inquisitors  of  any  here- 
tics they  shall  know  of,  or  of  any  who  may  favor  them. — 
Constit.  Innoc.  iv.  c.  30. 

By  Later.  IV.  Con.  Tom.  11.  part.  1.  p.  152.  and  Con.  Con- 
stance, Sess.  45,  Tom.  7.  p.  1120.  Benii.  "Whoever  appre- 
hends heretics,  wliich  all  are  at  liberty  to  do,  has  power  to 
take  from  them  all  their  goods  and  freely  enjoy  them."  ^Ind 
Pope  Innoceiit  III.  declares,  ^'This  punishment  we  command  to 
be  executed  on  them  by  all  Princes  and  secular  powers,  tvho  shall 
be  compelled  to  do  so  by  ecclesiastical  censures.  Decret.  7. 
lib.  5.  tit.  cap.  10. 

NO.  VI. 
On  Extirpation  of  Heretics, 

Oaths  on  Kings — to  extirpate  heretics.  The  4th  Council 
of  Lateran,  can.  3,  has  these  words — "Pro  defensione  fidei 
prffistat  juramentum,  quod  de  terris  susb  jurisdictionis  subjec 
tos  universos  hsereticos  ab  Ecclesia  denotatos,  bona  fide  pre 
viribus  exterminare  studebunt."  For  the  defence  of  the  faith, 
all  Princes  must  swear,  that  they  will,  bona  fide,  most  dili- 
gently study  to  root  out  of  their  territories,  all  their  subjects, 
by  the  Church  pronounced  heretics,  v/hich,  should  they  neg- 
ect  to  do,  they  must  themselves  be  excommunicated,  and  de- 
posed.    The  Council  of  Constance  confirms  this  Sess  45. 

In  the  5th  Council  of  Toledo,  the  Holy  Fathers  say :  "Wo 
promulge  this  decree  pleasing  to  God.     That  whosoever  here* 


EXTIRPATION    OF    HERETICS  377 

ifter  shall  ascend  to  the  kingdom,  shall  not  ascend  the  throne 
litll  he  has  sworn,  among  other  oaths,  to  permit  no  man  to  li'  ^ 
in  his  kingdom,  who  is  not  a  Catholic;  and  if,  after  he  has  taken 
the  reins  of  government,  he  shall  violate  this  promise,  let  him 
he  anathema  maranatha  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  fuel  of  the 
eternal  fire."     Caranza,  Sum.  Concil.  p.  404. 

An  Edict  of  Louis  XVth  of  France,  published  in  1724,  con- 
sisting of  18  Articles;  the  1st  and  2d  are  as  follows  "That 
the  Catholic  Religion  be  alone  professed  in  our  kingdom;  for- 
bidding all  our  subjects,  of  what  estate,  quality,  or  condition 
soever,  to  profess  any  other  Religion,  or  assemble  for  that  pur- 
pose in  any  place,  under  any  pretence  whatever,  on  pain,  of 
Men  for  the  gallics  for  ever,  and  Women  to  be  shorn,  or  shui 
up  for  ever  in  such  places  as  our  Judges  shall  think  proper, 
with  confiscation  of  goods. 

"We  order,  that  all  such  Preachers  as  have  convened  as- 
semblies, not  according  to  the  said  C.  Religion,  or  shall  have 
preached,  or  discharged  any  other  function  therein,  shall  be 
punished  with  death! — We  forbid  all  our  subjects  to  receive 
such  Ministers  or  Preachers,  or  to  give  them  any  retreat,  suc- 
cor, or  assistance,  or  to  have  any  manner  of  communication 
with  them.  And  we  order  all  who  shall  have  any  notice 
thereof,  to  discover  it  to  the  ofhcers  of  these  places,  the 
whole  on  the  aforesaid  penalties." 

That  the  Clergy  did  press  this  dire  law,  is  notorious,  from 
the  address  of  the  assembly  of  Bishops  to  the  King,  in  1765. 

"Give,  Sire,"  say  they,  "Give  to  the  laws  all  their  force, 
and  to  Religion  all  its  splendor,  that  the  full  revival  of  the 
Edict  of  1724,  may  be  the  result  of  our  humble  remonstran- 
ces.— The  plague  we  complain  of,  will  continue  to  ravage 
your  kingdom,  till  the  press  also  shall  be  restrained  by  laws 
faithfully  execu-ed." 

What  man,  of  any  name  or  nation,  and  in  whose  breast  is 
any  of  the  milk  of  human  kindess,  but  must  shudder  at  these 
fearful  plans  and  exclaim.  How  could  a  church,  so  desperate 
against  Bible  Christians,  be  the  mild,  holy  spouse  of  Chrisi? 

A  recent  Concersation  with  a  Nun 

•tV  you  believe  the  sacied  writers  of  the  Scripture  were 
i*rfallibl\  inspired?  N.  'I  do.'  'If  notj  you  could  have  nc 
irue  founJatxon  for  a  divine  religion;  would  you,  after  they 
had  finished  their  work,  consent  to  their  making  any  changes 
in  it^  'No,  for  <hat  would  be  d^^nving  they  weje  rendered 
2i2 


378  EXTIRPATION    OF    HERETICS. 

infallible.  'In  this,  you  agree  with  St.  Paul,  Gal.  i.  8. — 'that 
nu  apostle,  angel,  or  man,  must  make  any  alterations  in  the 
gospel.  NoAv,  were  not  the  Aposjtlcs  the  true  teaching  church?* 
*Yes,  certainly.'  'But  if  you  would  not  allow  that  church, 
even  the  very  apostles,  to  deviate  from  the  scriptures,  on  what 
ground  can  you  permit  any  other  cl.iurch  or  teachers  to  deviate 
fi'om  them?  Hence,  the  infillible  scripture,  not  any  church 
whatever,  must  be  your  only  safe  guide.  I  shall  now  prove 
your  clergy  are  on  oath  to  teach  you,  what  yourself  know  is 
an  untruth!  Has  there  ever  been  a  true,  proper,  and  real  sac- 
rifice for  sin  on  earth,  but  the  death  of  Christ  on  the  cross?"' 
'No.'  'What  were  all  the  sacrifices  from  Abel's,  till  then?' 
*They  were  typical  only.'  'But  Christ's  last  supper  or  sacra- 
ment, which  ye  call  his  mass,  being  before  his  death  or  even 
apprehension,  could  not, therefore,  you  own,  be  more  than  typi- 
cal or  figurative;  yet,  your  priests  are  on  oath  to  believe  and 
teach  "that  in  the  mass,  there  is  a  true,  proper  and  propitia- 
tory sacrifice  for  the  living  and  the  dead,"  which,  you  see,  is  a 
plain  falsehood!'  Said  her  grand-father,  who  was  present, 
*There.  indeed,  you  have  them  by  the  neck.'  'Yes,  Sir,  and 
tbev  can  never  get  loose.' 


NOTES. 

Notkes  of  the  Papal  Church  in  the  United  States 

From  the  Quarterly  Register  of  the   American  Education  Societ}', 
Vol.  2d,  1830. 

The  subject  announced  at  the  head  of  this  article  is  one  of 
great  and  increasing  importance.  Contemplated  either  in  a 
civil  or  religious  view,  this  is  unquestionably  the  case;  but  it 
is  more  especial'y  under  the  latter  that  it  commends  itself  to 
the  readers  of  this  publication.  We  shall  endeavor,  in  pur- 
suing it,  to  bear  in  mind  not  only  the  imperious  duty  of  the 
historian,  to  exhibit  truth,  but  also  that  of  the  patriot  and 
christian,  to  ascertain  and  feel  its  connexion  and  relations. 

Bat  in  this  paper  it  is  not  intended  to  enter  at  large  into  tbe 
long,  protracted,  and  voluminous  controversy  VY-iih  the  Churcn 
of  Rome.  Such  we  style  her,  and  are  backward  to  admit  her 
title  to  the  usurped  but  ordinary  appellation  of  'Catholic' — 
This  controversy  has  occasionally  occupied,  for  more  than 
three  hundred  years,  some  of  the  most  serious  minds  and 
able  pens  of  Christendom;  and  indeed  from  an  earlier  age 
there  have  not  been  wanting  individuals  who  have  succes- 
sively borne  testimony  against  the  assumptions,  spiritual  and 
temj)oral,  of  the  Roman  Court,  or  Church — terms,  in  thiscase, 
commutable — her  growing  superstitions,  preposterous  claims, 
and  absurd  pretensions. 

Yet,  while  we  waive,  for  the  present,  a  professed  entrance 
on  this  controversy,  it  is  not  because  we  are  under  no  appre- 
hension of  evil,  nor  because  v.^e  do  not  feel  that  it  is  matter 
of  surprise  that  the  evil  should  be  extending  its  influence  so 
widely  in  our  country.  For  we  cannot  forget  the  apprehen- 
sions of  our  puritan  ancestors,  and  their  conscientious  cp 
position;  nor  the  sufferings  of  many  who  preceded  them. 
And  it  is  equally  impossible  to  forget  the  invaluable  privilege 
of  possessing  God's  word,  translated  and  accessible  in  our 
own  hiniruage  with  the  liberty  of  reading,  expounding  and 
practising  its  requirements,  v/ithout  fear  of  molestation.— 
That,  in  such  circumstances,  Rome  should  increase  her  vota- 
ries from  among  our  freeborn  citizens,  in  numbers  almost 
equal  to  those  who  came  as  papists  to  this  country  from  tho 
iliores  of  Europe,  is  indeed  matter  of  surprise. 

379 


380  NOTES. 

Our  main  design  is  to  give  a  statistical  view  of  Romanists 
in  the  United  States,  as  has  been  done  in  reference  to  other 
denominations.  But,  with  our  opinions  and  feehngs,  it  will 
be  impracticable,  and  would  also,  we  think,  be  improper,  to 
exhibit  such  a  view  v>  ithout  remarks. 

At  the  outset,  however,  it  is  to  be  distinctly  and  gratefully 
acknowledged,  that,  as  in  cur  own  state  government  *every 
denominition  of  Christians,  demeaning  themselves  peacea- 
bly, and  as  good  subjects  of  the  Commonwealth,  shall  be 
equally  under  the  protection  of  the  law;  and  no  subordination 
of  any  one  sect  or  denomination  to  another  shall  ever  be  es- 
tablished by  law:'*  so  likewise  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  it  is  provided,  that  'Congress  shall  make  no  law 
respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibiting  the 
free  exercise  thereoft  Whatever  remarks,  therefore,  be 
made  in  reference  to  that  branch  of  the  Church  of  Romo 
which  exists  in  these  States,  it  is  to  be  considered  that  they 
have  an  equal  right  with  ourselves  to  their  own  views,  and 
opinions,  and  forms  of  worship,  while  they  infringe  not  on  the 
rights  of  others.  And,  as  a  consequence,  they  have  an 
equal  right  with  ourselves  to  publish  their  own  opinions,  and 
send  out  their  missionaries  to  promulgate  them  through  the 
Union,  and  multiply  their  converts — it  being  only  the  force 
of  truth  and  sound  argument,  and  the  influence  of  a  holy  and 
useful  life,  which  can  justly  be  allowed  to  sv»ay  the  public 
sentiment,  and  establish  the  prosperity  of  any  denomination: 
every  tendency  to  the  union  of  the  Church  and  State,  in  es- 
tablishments professedly  religious,  militating  as  much  with 
our  feelings,  as  with  the  spirit  of  our  free  constitutions  of 
government. 

Nor  are  the  Romanists  to  be  regarded  as  interlopers  in  the 
United  States.  One  of  the  members  of  this  Confederacy  was 
indeed  originally  constituted,  in  great  degree,  by  individuals 
of  that  faith.  Maryland,  settled  by  Lord  Baltimore,  was  in- 
tended by  him  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  such,  and  for  their  en- 
joyment of  religious  liberty.  However  strange,  therefore,  it 
may  seem  to  us,  that  our  ears  are  saluted  with  reports  of  the 
extension  of  the  Romish  Church  in  this  Protestant  country- 
we  must  be  prepared  to  contemplate  the  fact. 

And  why,  some  are  ready  to  say,  is  this  increase  to  be  de- 
precated? Are  we  to  charge  on  the  modern  professors  of  that 
faith  the  derelictions  of  their  ancestors?     Shall  we   hold  the 

*Constitution  of  Mass.  Art.  III.      tAmend.  to  Comt't.  of  17.  S.  Art.   Ill 


NOTES.  38) 

present  Church  of  Rome  responsible  for  the  cruelties  exer> 
«ised  against  the  Albigenses,  six  hundred  years  ago — and  for 
the  fires  of  Sniithfield,  the  dragonnadcs  of  the  Cevennois,  the 
massacres  of  St.  Bartholomew,  and  of  1641?  Do  we  not  find 
in  that  communion  men  of  humanity,  of  elegant  literature,  en- 
gaging manners,  sound  science,  and  fervent  piety?  These 
questions  would  have  weight,  did  we  recognize  in  the  acts  of 
tlie  Court  of  Rome  any  compunction  for  her  past  violences ;  did 
she  express  her  abhorrence  of  the  principle,  '  that  no  faith  is 
to  be  kept  with  heretics,'  and  abjure  the  dogmas  of  Jesuitic 
morality.  But  until  this  is  done,  she  must  be  held  responsible 
to  the  world — as  indeed  she  will  be  to  God,  ichen  he  maketh 
inquisition  for  blood. 

The  refinement  of  modern  manners,  the  withholding  of  ob- 
jectionable articles  of  faith,  in  soothing  conversations  main- 
tained with  inquiries,  the  specious  glosses  put  on.  expressions 
startling  to  the  lover  of  Scriptural  simplicity — all  these  might 
seem  to  say,  Rome  has  changed,  and  is  far  different  from  that 
power  which  Luther  and  Zuingle,  Melancthon,  Calvin  and 
Bucer,  and  the  host  of  Reformers  combatted.  But  the  high 
tone  of  her  present  publications  claims*  an  unchanged  and 
unchangable  character  for  her  faith  and  her  practice 

It  is  not  therefore  to  be  wondered  at,  that  this  whole  subject 
IS  awakening  investigation.  Indeed,  the  wonde-r  is,  rathei', 
that  curiosity  has  slept  so  long — and  that  watchmen  themselves 
have  slumbered.  Specially  is  it  to  be  regretted,  that  that 
important  part  of  our  territory,  concerning  which  we  are  ac- 
customed to  hear  that  it  will  speedily,  by  its  abundant  popula- 
tion, give  law  to  our  Union,  has  been  left  open  so  long  to  the 
enterprises  of  Rome ;  and  has  obtained  from  the  elder  portions 
of  our  population  so  scanty  means  of  resistance  to  a  persever- 
ing and  specious  hierarchy.  How  important  it  is  in  the  sight 
of  Romanists,  this  paper  will  soon  evince.  Had  it  been  in 
our  ej^es  as  important  at  the  commencement  of  this  century, 
and  had  those  means  been  in  operation,  which  our  tardy  zeal 
is  now  employing,  how  different  the  result  from  that  we  have 
reason  to  apprehend? 

We  have  before  us  the  numbers  of  a  French  periodical  pub- 
lication for  the  year  just  closed,  containing  several  deeply  in- 
teresting statements.  It  is  entitled  '  Annals  of  the  Associa- 
tion for  the  propagation  of  the  Faith.'  At  what  precise  period 
the  Association  was  formed,  or  what  station  it  holds  in  the  Ro- 

*See  The  Jesuit,  a  periodical  published  in  Boston,  passiia. 


3S2  NOTES. 

mish  Church,  whether  it  has  succeeded  the  'College  depropa 
ganda  Fide,''  or  is  a  new  body  altogether,  we  are  not  inform 
ed.  These  numbers  are  from  xv  to  xviii  inclusively,  and  we 
propose  to  gather  from  them  a  few  of  the  facts  and  represen- 
tations which  bear  on  the  subject  of  this  paper. 

But,  as  the  subject,  in  ail  probability,  is  comparatively  new 
to  very  many  of  our  readers,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  pre- 
viously a  cursory  view  of  what  had  been  done  antecedently  to 
this  period,  in  reference  to  the  Romish  Church  in  the  United 
States.  For  this  we  are  indebted  to  a  publication  in  1822  in 
Ne\Y  York,  exhibiting  its  condition  at  that  time.*  From  th;'s 
v/e  learn  that  a  Jesuit  priest  accompanied  the  emigrants  to 
Maryland,  in  1632,  and  from  that  date  till  the  period  of  the 
revolution,  the  American  Catholics  in  Maryland  and  Virginia 
were  constantly  served  by  Jesuit  missionaries,  successively 
sent  from  England.! 

The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Carroll  having  been  elected  the  first 
Bishop,  by  the  clergy,  through  a  special  indulgence  granted 
them  by  the  Pope,  Pius  VI.  a  See  was  constituted,  and  the 
Bishop  elect  consecrated  in  England,  Aug.  15,  1799.  He  had 
been  chosen  by  twenty-four  out  of  twenty-six  priests,  assem 
bled  for  the  purpose. 

At  length,  in  1810,  the  increase  of  the  Romish  Communion 
had  become  so  great  in  the  United  States,  it  was  judged  best  at 
Rome  to  erect  the  Episcopate  of  Baltimore  'into  a  Metropolitan 
or  Archiepiscopal  See,  and  to  establish  four  new  suffragan 
diocesses ;  namely,  Boston,  New-York,  Philadelphia,  and  Bards- 
town  in  Kentucky.'  This  was  accordingly  carried  into  effect 
*  with  great  pomp  and  solemnity.' 

Previous  to  this  period.  New  Orleans  had  been  erected  into 
a  bishopric,  and  in  1820,  those  of  Richmond  and  Charleston 
were  added.  All  these  are  entitled  from  the  places  where  they 
are  constituted,  as  in  countries  connected  with  the  Romish 
government,  or  as  is  done  in  Episcopal  England — there  being 
no  occasion,  such  is  American  liberality  or  indifference,  for 
the  ecclesiastical  figment,  in  partihus  infidelium.  Singular, 
therefore,  as  is  the  sound,  Boston,  the  capital  of  the  puritans, 
is  designated  as  an  episcopate  subject  to  Rome.  At  her  court, 
doubtless,  this  has  been  regarded  as  no  small  triumph,  and  on 
thi^  side  the  water,  appears  no  trifling  anomaly. 

*'Th3  Laity's  Directory  to  the  Church  Service,'  revised  and  corrected  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Power,  a  distinguished  Romaiit.5t. 
+  Id.  p.  73. 


KOTEg.  383 

To  the  above  episcopal  sees,  that  of  Ohio  has  been  subse- 
quently added,  and  is  denominated  from  Cincinnati,  the  prin- 
cipal town,  where  the  Bishop's  cathedral  was  consecrated,  Dec. 
17,  182G.  Mobile  has  likewise  been  created  an  episcopate  by- 
Pius  VIII,  the  present  Pope. 

It  remains  that  something  be  remarked  in  reference  to  the 
resuscitation  of  the  order  of  Jesuits,  especially  9S  this  relates 
to  their  labors  in  the  United  States. 

To  n(>  body  of  men  whatever  has  the  See  of  Romx  been 
more  deeply  indebted  than  to  this,  for  active,  pnrscvcring,  and 
devoted  service.  Of  their  former  history,  their  flexible  prin- 
ci{)les,  the  abilities  and  accomplishments  of  their  most  distin- 
guished members — the  extent  of  their  missions,  their  estima- 
tion in  courts,  and  irxliuence  in  the  cabinets  of  princes — little 
need  be  said.  It  is  subject  of  general  notoriety,  and  familiar 
to  all  who  read.  Equally  known  is  the  hatred  this  celebrated 
society  excited  even  in  kingdoms  like  France,  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, devoted,  and  the  latter  too  almost  blindly,  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  See  of  Home.  This  odium  demanded  at  length  the 
euppressionof  the  order,  which  it  vras  the  glory  of  Ganganelii 
(in  the  eyes  of  the  Protestants  at  least,  as  well  as  of  the  peti-. 
tioners)  ultimately  to  effect  in  177G.  Rumor  said  it  cost  his 
life. 

From  the  time  of  Clement  XIV.  the  society,  which  had  been 
so  powerful  and  so  richly  endowed,  lay  dormant  for  near  forty 
years — at  least  so  far  as  regarded  its  public  appearance  with 
its  ovvn  name.  It  may,  however,  be  useful  to  notice  its  pre- 
vious extent.  This  we  are  able  to  do  from  a  document,  ^found 
among  the  papers  of  the  society  at  the  time  of  their  expulsion 
from  Spain,'  in  1767,  aiid  entitled,  *A  general  enumeration  of 
the  houses,  colleges,  residences,  seminaries  and  missions  of  the 
Jesuits  in  all  parts  of  the  world.'  It  states*  that  there  were  in 
the  society 

39  Provinces, 
24  Houses  (professed), 
GG9  Colleges, 
Gl  Houses  of  probation,  or  Noviciates, 
17G  Seminaries,  or  Boarding  houses, 
335  Residences, 
273  Missions, 

22,819  Jesuits;  among  whom  were 

11,413  Priests. 

*•  See  *Recueil  des  pieces  concemanl  le  bannissement  des  Jesuite*»,'  etr.  1^ 
luite,  p.  46. 


1^84  NOTES. 

A  subsec^uent  note  adds,  ^We  thus  see  that  the  world  is  as 
It  were,  environed  by  an  extended  net,  composed,  it  is  true, 
of  wide  meshes,  if  it  were  formed  but  of  22,000  Jesuits ;  but 
these  meshes  are  compressed  when  we  inspect  a  copy  found 
in  the  Imperial  College,  enumerating  such  as  were  connected 
with  the  Congregations  throughout  the  Spanish  Monarchy.  In 
the  Imperial  College  of  Madrid  alone  the  number  amounted  to 
near  2000  men  or  youths,  and  a  thousand  females;  so  that 
their  "Congregations"  among  the  subjects  of  his  Catholic  Ma- 
jesty surpass  60,000.* 

It  is  not  in  our  power  to  trace  the  members  of  this  Society 
during  its  suppi-ession.  The  name  of  Jesuit  was,  suffice  it  to 
say,  but  synonymous  with  all  of  ambition,  craft,  and  treachery, 
duplicity,  and  talent,  to  be  conceived  by  the  human  mind.  A 
history  of  the  order  was  printed  in  France,  and  its  delinquen- 
cies detailed  in  an  elaborate  manner.  Of  this  work  we  have 
seen  five,  closely  printed,  thick  quarto  volumes,  and  it  was 
then  incomplete.  The  caustic  pen  of  Pascal  had  long  before 
Vv'ithered  its  laurels,  and  it  seemed  doomed  to  irremediable 
death.  But  Pius  VII.  ventured  to  resuscitate  it;  and  by  his 
bull  of  Aug.  7,  1814,  brought  it  again  into  existence  in  all  the 
States  acknowledging  spiritual  subjection  to  Rome.  Let  then 
the  Court  of  Rome  bear  the  responiibility  of  its  daKng!  Ne- 
cessary indeed  to  its  service  may  be  the  devotion  of  such  a 
band — but  how  perilous  the  determination  to  employ  itlj    ^^ 

A  word  or  two  must  also  be  said  in  regard  to  the  College 
de  propaganda  Fide.  We  confess  we  are  not  informed  of  its 
present  state.  But  it  is  not  long  since  its  funds  appeared  to 
be  wholly  exhausted.  However,  Spain  contributed,  as  the 
public  papers  announced,  an  amount  of  60,000  crowns,  in  the 
depth  of  her  national  poverty,  not  long  ago;  and  Austria,  at 
least,  is  able  to  furnish  abundantly  the  cost  of  new  and  exten- 
ded missions :  and  not  only  able,  but,  it  is  stated  on  good  au- 

*  See  'RecLieil  des  pieces  concernant  le  bannissement  des  Jesuites,'  etc. 
page  48.  \ 

t  See  a  Dissertation  published  in  Paris,  1825,  entitled,  Les  Jesuites  et  leur 
doctrine,  p.  287.  In  the  introduction  the  author  observes,  'There  have  ap- 
peared lately  many  histories  of  the  Jesuits:  but  they  have  treated  only  of 
their  political  intrigues,  and  very  little  respecting  their  doctrine — of  which 
many  have  heard  a  great  deal,  out  do  not  comprehend  it.  'J'his  has  caused 
the  production  of  the  present  work.' — 'We  presume  to  hope,  that  tne  public 
will  be  gratified  to  know  thoroughly  a  Society,  which  foirnerly  rendered  itself 
60  celebrated  by  its  disorders,  and  which  still,  at  tlie  present  day,  threatens  us 
««riih  tiie  evils  it  has  never  ceased  to  bring  upon  our  kings  and  upon  our  coun- 
Uy;'  pp.  xiv.  xv. 


NOTES.  385 

thorlty,  actually  engaged  in  doing  it  for  the  ^Mission  ifi  the 
United  States.'  Pri\ate  intelligence  also  from  Italy  assures 
us,  that,  m  the  upper  circles,  the  enterprise  of  reducing  our 
Western  States  to  spiritual  subserviency  and  subjection  un- 
der the  See  of  Rome,  or,  in  other  words,  to  convert  them  to 
the  Faith,  is  the  subject  of  most  frequent  and  interesting 
conversation. 

In  circumstances  like  these,  we  advert  to  the  articles  of  in- 
formation contained  in  those  numbers  of  the  'Annals'  before 
alluded  to,  occupying  about  240  pages.  They  are  introduced 
by  the  following  editorial  remarks*. 

'In  the  first  and  second  number  of  these  Annals  we  inserted 
two  articles  respecting  Kentucky.  We  then  stated  the  condi- 
tion of  the  catholic  religion  in  this  vast  mission.  Since  that 
time,  the  good  which  had  been  commenced,  has  been  confirm 
ed,  and  truth  has  obtained  new  triumphs  over  error.  Daily 
conversions,  although  not  of  a  splendid  character,  are  crown- 
ing the  labors  and  animating  the  zeal  of  the  venerable  bishop 
of  Bardstown,  and  his  indefatigable  helpers.  The  Jubilee 
was  preached  in  succession  and  with  effect  throughout  all  the 
parishes  of  the  diocese.  Infidels  and  the  protestants  of  all 
denominations,  who  inhabit  this  country,  were  neither  alarmed 
nor  stirred  up  to  opposition,  as  has  often  been  the  case  else- 
wh€gt,  at  the  sight  of  a  few  poor  priests  announcing  to  sinners 
the  mercies  of  the  Most  High,  or  dazzling  the  eyes  of  heretics 
with  the  torch  of  the  true  faith. 

'Beside  the  bishop  and  his  coadjutor,  Monseigneur*  David, 
there  are  in  all  the  diocese  of  Bardstown  but  twenty-one  mis- 
sionaries. This  diocese  is  formed  of  the  states  of  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  the  population  of  which 
amounts  to  1,397,450  souls,  comprising  207,930  slaves.  This 
population,  in  which  are  found  not  more  than  30,000  Catholics, 
is  spread  over  a  surface  a  hundred  leagues  wide,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  in  length.  The  diocese  possesses  a  Dominican 
convent,  two  nunneries,  and  thirty  churches,  of  which  eleven 
are  built  of  brick  and  nineteen  of  wood.  The  convent  of  the 
Dominicans  is  at  St.  Rose,  near  Springfield  in  Kentucky.  It 
was  founded  in  1808,  by  M.  Edw.  Fenwick,  the  present  bishop 

*  The  title  of  'My  Lord'  is  tlie  qualification  of  bishops  abroad ;  b'/t,  very 
properly,  we  think,  the  editor  of  the  'U.  S.  Catholic  Miscellany,'  puDlished 
at  Charleston,  commenting  on  a  notice  copied  from  a  Canada  paper,  objects 
to  *he  use  of  it  in  this  country.  However,  let  it  appear.  It  is  only  one  exem- 
plification of  Romanist  aberrations  from  the  simpUcity  of  Scripture,  which  al- 
Jows  not  bishops  to  be  Hords  over  God^s  heritage  --but  ensamples  to  tlie 
JhcV     1  Peter  v.  3. 

2  K 


386  NOTES. 

of  Cincinnati,  and  hay  thus  far  furnished  twelve  pi  iesis.  Some 
years  since  Mgr.  Flaget  instituted  a  community  of  Missionary 
Friars.  They  are  intended  for  the  office  of  catechists,  school- 
masters, sacristars,  etc.  Their  vow  is  for  three  years,  and 
they  engage  in  manual  labor,  gardening,  and  agriculture. 

'The  nuns  devote  themselves  to  the  education  of  young  pei- 
sons  of  their  own  sex.  The  Sisters  of  Charity,  seventy  in 
number,  were  established  by  Mgr.  David.  Their  chief  town 
is  at  Nazareth,  one  league  from  Bardstown.  By  the  increase 
of  pupils,  they  have  been  necessitated  to  build  a  boarding- 
house,  that  will  contain  a  hundred  and  fifty.  Nuns,  of  the 
Dominican  order,  were  established  six  or  seven  years  ago,  to 
the  number  of  fifteen,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Springfield. — 
They  have  but  about  thirty  pupils,  not  bemg  able  to  accommo- 
date more.  The  Sisters  of  the  Cross,  or  of  Loretto,  founded 
by  the  venerable  M.  Nerinckx,  amounting  already  to  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five.  Their  principal  establishment  is  at  Lo- 
retto, near  Bardstown,  and  they  have  six  other  secondary 
houses,  for  country  schools. 

'Most  of  the  churches  of  the  diocese  of  Bardstown  are  very 
destitute  of  linen  and  ornaments ;  many,  in  fact,  are  in  want 
of  the  objects  most  necessary  for  the  celebration  of  sacred 
rites.  The  Abbe  Martial,  whom  Mgr.  Flaget  had  sent  to  Eu- 
rope in  1826,  having  shown  the  king  of  France  the  poverty  of 
the  mission  of  Kentucky,  His  Majesty  and  Monseigneur,  the 
Dauphin,  condescended  to  present  him  the  altar  furniture  for 
the  cathedral  of  Bardstown:  the  tabernacle,  cross,  and  six 
chandeliers  are  of  bronze,  gilt,  and  of  excellent  workmanship. 
M.  Martial  had  previously  received  of  the  king  of  Naples  six 
paintings,  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  four  paintings  and  the  sa- 
cred vessels,  of  the  queen  of  Sardinia  an  ostensoir,  inlaid  with 
Vermillion,  and  of  His  Highness  the  Duke  of  Modena,  an  epis 
copal  ring  for  Mgr.  Flaget.  And  when,'  adds  the  editor,  'the 
letters  are  read  which  are  now  published,  it  will  appear  that 
these  testimonials  of  esteem,  given  by  the  abovementioned 
Bovereigns  to  the  venerable  prelate  and  his  missionaries,  are 
"well  merited.' 

Of  the  three  letters  from  the  bishop  of  Bardstown,  which 
are  then  given,  the  first,  directed  to  a  friend  who  had  been  in 
America,  is  dated  in  February,  1825,  and  states: 

'The  second  wing  of  Bardstown  college  is  nearly  finished. 
It  has  cost  more  than  7,000  dollars,  and  the  whole  is,  unhap- 
pily, not  yet  paid.  Our  Legislature  has  just  incorporated  the 
college.     The  Bishops  of  Bardstown  are  constituted  perpetu 


NOTES.  387 

ally  its  moderators  or  rectors.  I  might  have  dictated  Condi- 
tions, which  I  could  not  have  made  more  advantageous  or 
honorable;  and  what  u  still  more  flattering  is,  that  these  priv- 
ileg  3S  were  granted  almost  without  any  discussion,  and  with 
unanimity  in  both  houses.' 

After  some  further  detail  of  plans,  and  prospects,  and  la- 
bors, and  urging  his  friend  to  'knock  at  every  door,  and  try 
to  obtain  the  aid  necessary  to  meet  his  accumulated  expert 
ses,'  the  bishop  says: 

'  There  are  fourteen  or  fifteen  scholars  in  the  little  semina- 
ry, and  new  ones  present  themselves  almost  evjiy  week. — 
The  spiritual  call  spreads,  and  offers  a  consoling  prospect  for 
time  to  come.  Strangers  who  hear  of  our  success  wonder  at 
it;  but  we  who  behold  it,  and  who  know  the  immense  dispro- 
portion between  oui  local  resources  and  what  is  actually 
wanting,  speak  of  it  like  men  in  a  delirium,  who  follow  the 
inspiration  that  conducts  them,  much  more  than  the  dim  light 
of  their  own  reason.  This  serves  to  guard  us  against  the 
temptations  of  vanity,  and  inspires  us  with  courage  to  struggle 
against  the  innumerable  difficulties  which  surround  our  steps 
Pray  much,  my  dear  friend,'  he  continues,  '  and  urge  others 
to  pray,  that  we  may  be  humble  and  grateful ;  then  all  will 
go  well.' 

Happy,  we  may  add,  happy  would  it  have  been  for  the 
Church  of  Rome  and  the  world,  had  the  excellent  spirit  of 
this  last  expression  breathed  ever  in  her  councils  and  in  the 
members  of  her  communion! 

In  justice  to  the  bishop,  it  must  also  be  mentioned  that,  in 
the  same  letter,  he  says : 

'You  will  recollect  that  I  wrote  you  about  fourteen  years 
ago,  that  my  great  ambition  was  to  make  but  one  family  with 
my  venerable  priests,  and  that  we  should  have  a  common 
purse;  that  each  of  our  members,  whether  in  health  or  sick- 
ness, should  have  a  right  to  a  decent  support,  and  that  the  re- 
mainder, if  any,  should  be  consecrated  to  good  works.  The 
incorporation  of  our  college  occurred  most  hapoily  to  bring 
into  operation  this  family-contract,  and  to  recall  the  lovely 
times  of  the  primitive  church.  I  am  still  engaged  in  execu- 
ting this  plan,  and  my  young  priests  appear  to  enter  mco  m.y 
views  with  much  pleasure.' 

In  a  subsequent  letter  of  acknowledgment  and  solicita- 
tion, the  bishop  thus  dilates  on  his  situation,  labors,  and 
prospects : 

*The  providence  of  God  has  unquestionably  been  remarka 


388  NOTES. 

ble  in  regard  tome, and  even  lavish  of  kindnesses;  and  had  i 
the  hearts  of  all  the  angels,  I  could  not  recount  them.  On 
my  part  I  have  endeavored  to  answer  its  designs,  and  my  ex- 
ertions have  not  been  useless.  In  fact,  what  a  consolation  is 
it  to  me,  that  I  have  formed  three  female  religious  orders— 
the  Lovers  of  Mary,  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  the  Domi- 
nican Nuns!  More  than  two  hundred  young  women,  who  have 
taken  their  vows  in  these  institutions,  are  principally  devoted 
to  the  education  of  persons  of  their  own  sex.  What  a  conso 
lation,  to  have  formed  two  seminaries,  containing  thirty-five  or 
forty  young  people  designed  for  the  church;  to  have  erected 
two  schools  for  country  children,  and  a  little  college  for  such 
as  desire  a  classical  education;  to  see  that  eight  brick  church- 
es, without  mentioning  my  cathedral,  which  is  the  wonder  of 
the  country,  have  been  erected  since  my  abode  in  Kentucky; 
that  the  two  seminaries,  the  two  schools,  and  the  college,  are 
also  beautiful  buildings  of  brick,  erected  and  paid  for  by  our- 
selves. It  is  true  that  we  owe  from  30  to  35,000  francs;  but 
from  the  profits  of  the  college  and  the  contributions  we  expect, 
we  may  be  freed  in  about  four  years.  Still,  had  I  treasures 
at  my  disposal,  I  would  multiply  colleges,  and  schools  for 
girls  and  boys;  I  would  consolidate  all  these  establishments, 
by  annexing  to  them  lands  or  annual  rents;  I  would  build  hos- 
pitals and  public  houses:  in  a  word,  I  would  compel  all  my 
Kentuckians  to  admire  and  love  a  religion  so  beneficent  and 
generous,  and  perhaps  I  should  finish  by  converting  them. — 
The  directors  of  the  Association  for  the  Faith  ought  not,  in 
general,  to  scruple  sending  abundant  alms  to  bishops  whose 
wants  plead  more  eloquently  than  their  letters.  By  the  fruits 
we  judge  of  the  tree. 

'The  following,'  he  adds,  'is  the  account  of  the  ordination 
I  admuiistered  the  last  December:  one  who  received  the  ton- 
suie,  nine  minorites,  two  sub-deacons,  and  one  deacon;  five 
or  six  children  of  the  little  seminary,  after  a  trial  of  eighteen 
months  or  two  years,  may  receive  the  tonsure;  but  garments 
must  be  bought  for  them,  for  I  have  not  the  means.  In  our 
two  seminaries,  we  have  one  tonsured,  eleven  minorites,  four 
sub-deacons,  and  three  deacons,  with  seventeen  or  eighteen 
young  persons  more,  who  have  been  studying  two  or  three 
years  for  the  priesthood.  This  prospect  in  a  diocese,  existing 
only  thirteen  years,  is  consoling  to  the  friends  of  religion, 
and  merits  encouragement. 

The  editor  subjoins  to  this  statement: 

'Mgr.  Flaget  has  established  in  his  diocese  many  convent* 


NOTES.  389 

of  nuns  devoted  to  the  education  of  young  females.  These 
establishments  do  wonderful  good.  Catholics  and  Protestants 
are  admitted  indiscriminately.  The  latter,  after  havmg  fin- 
ished their  education,  return  to  the  bosom  of  their  fami- 
lies, full  of  esteem  and  veneration  for  their  instructresses 
They  are  ever  ready  to  refute  the  calumnies,  which  the 
jealousy  of  heretics  loves  to  spread  against  the  religious 
communities:  and  often,  when  they  have  no  longer  the  op- 
position of  their  relations  to  fear,  they  embrace  the  Catholic 
religion.'' 

That  such  has  been  the  frequent  result  cannot  be  denied,* 
and  that  such  a  result  has  been  anticipated,  the  above  docu- 
ments fidly  evince.  Nor  can  the  '  heretics'  of  these  United 
States  be  too  'jealous*  of  the  insidious  influence  of  the  le.agion 
of  Rome  on  their  unguarded  population. 

The  following  is  an  extract  of  another  letter  :* 

'From  time  to  time  Protestants  are  converted.  The  dism- 
terestedness  of  our  clergy,  their  regularity  and  devotion  to 
the  good  of  the  people,  from  ichom  they  gain  nothing,  have 
more  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  Protestants  than  all  the  rea- 
sonings in  the  world.  The  Protestants  are  divided  into  an  in- 
finity of  sects;  but  many  of  them  are  nothing;  they  are  not 
even  baptised.  They  come  to  our  church,  attracted  by  the 
music  and  the  preaching.  They  behave  there  as  well  as  the 
Catholics.  In  fact,  the  church  is  not  here,  as  in  EuropOj  a 
place  for  walking  and  meeting  acquaintances.  There  reigns 
in  it  a  silence  and  tranquihty,  which  are  astonishing  when 
observed  for  the  first  time.' 

We  extract  also  a  paragraph  from  the  details  of  services  in 
proclaiming  the  'Jubilee:'! 

'The  same  day  on  which  the  exercises  ended  at  St.  Thomas 
they  were  begun  at  Louisville.  Two  ecclesiastics  from  Bards  • 
town  came  to  assist  the  ordinary  pastor  of  the  congregation 
here.  Its  church,  though  ill  situated  for  the  greater  portion 
of  the  inhabitants  of  this  trading  and  populous  city,  was  nev- 
ertheless filled  with  people.  Beside  the  morning  sermon, 
there  was  a  conference  at  4  o'clock,  respecting  indulgences 
and  the  jubilee.  One  of  the  ecclesiastics  proposed  the  ob- 
jections of  the  Protestants,  and  another  replied,  referring  al- 
ways to  the  testimony  of  the  scriptures  and  tradition.  Some 
days  before,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  Louisville,  by  the 
ame  of  Blackburn,  had  declaimed  publicly  against  the  Cath 

^Annates,  etc.  No.  xv.  p.  175.  fid.  p.  17S, 

2k2 


390  NOTES. 

olic  cleigy.  The  missionaries  contented  themselves  with 
proving  their  doctrine  and  dispelling  prejudices;  but  the 
cnurch  being  found  too  small  for  the  crowd  of  auditors,  after 
Monday  the  conferences  were  held  in  the  courthouse  at 
seven  in  the  evening.  The  multitude  was  very  great,  and 
sometimes  the  conferences  lasted  two  hours  and  a  half. — 
On  Saturday,  instead  of  the  conference,  there  was  a  sermon 
on  the  necessity  of  baptism.  On  Sunday  there  were  but  sixty 
persons  at  the  communion;  but  the  Catholics  are  only  % 
small  part  of  the  population,  and  beside  it  is  known  that  this 
city,  by  its  situation  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  commer- 
cial connexion  with  all  the  West,  is  a  species  of  market, 
where  the  tumult  and  dissipation  are  extreme.  Others  of 
the  faithful  are  preparing  to  receive  the  communion,  and  sev- 
eral Protestants  have  announced  their  design  of  joining  the 
church.  The  conferences  have  produced  a  species  ofrevolu 
tion  in  ideas  and  feelings;  the  most  important  points  have  been 
discussed,  as  the  authority  of  the  Pope,  the  real  presence,  the 
worship  of  the  saints,  the  reproaches  against  the  priests,  eccle- 
siastical cehbacy,  &:.c.  On  the  day  when  the  last  point  was 
handled,  a  Presbyterian  minister  thought  proper  to  interrupt 
the  preacher  in  a  loud  voice.  Some  zealous  Irishmen  went 
to  Iiim;  but  the  preacher  requested  permission  to  answer  the 
proposed  questions;  and,  in  fact,  he  replied  with  great  anima- 
tion, shewing,  by  St.  Paul  himself,  the  advantages  of  conti- 
nence.' At  another  place:  'A  conference  on  the  infallibility 
of  the  church,*  before  a  numerous  body  of  Catholics  and  Pro- 
testants, closed  this  visit.'  In  other  places :  ^The  missionaries 
proposed  to  answer,  in  a  conference,  some  of  the  calumnies  pub- 
lished by  an  Anabaptist  journal.  They  aimed  to  show,  that 
charity  is  the  distinctive  character  of  our  religion,  and  they 
refuted  the  objections  drawn  from  the  Inquisition,  and  some 
other  topics :' — 'two  priests,  one  deacon,  four  sub-deacons,  all 
born  in  the  United  States,  and  most  of  them  in  Kentucky*, 
were  ordained :'' — 'the  planters  crowded  earnestly  to  attend 
the  exercises,  and  there  were  at  the  holy  table  two  hundred 
and   fifty  believers,  and  about  sixty  received   confirmation, 

*From  the  apparent  caution  with  whicli  the  subject  of  this  conference  is 
expressed,  it  might  oe  supposed  that  the  letter-writer  and  his  friends  were  not 
of  the  High  Church  party,  ascribing  infallibiUt)'^  to  the  Pope.  See  the  Rev. 
JMi.  Faber's  able  and  seasonable  work  on  the  Difficulties  of  Romanism,  foi 
'.he  difference  of  opinion  on  this  point,  (if  in  an  invariable  church  such  a 
*hing  can  be  imagined,)  between  the  Transalpine  and  Cisalpine  parties.  P. 
40,  Amer   sdit. 


NOTBS.  391 

one  adult  was  baptized,  and  two  others  already  baptized,  enter- 
ed the  bosom  of  the  church.'  At  Lexington,  'almost  the  whole 
audience  was  Protestant,  and  the  subject  of  conference  was, 
the  power  of  the  church  to  forgive  sins.  The  other  exercises 
were  held  'n  St.  Peter's  Church,  but  the  conferences  at  the 
courthouse;.  There,  the  questions  respecting  purgatory,  the 
inquisition,  and  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  were  discussed,  and 
the  church  was  defended  on  these  points.  Such  peaceable  con- 
ferences excited,  as  at  Louisville,  the  chagrin  of  some  minis- 
ters, who  declaimed  from  their  desks  with  warmth.' 

Of  these  conferences,  Bishop  Flaget,  in  a  letter  to  his  friend, 
remarks:  'It  is  impossible  for  me  to  tell  you  the  good  which 
will  result  from  this  exercise .  The  Protestants  are,  perhaps, 
more  attached  to  it  than  the  Catholics.  We  have  had  the  con- 
solation of  seeing  a  great  member  of  old  sinners  making  con- 
siderable efforts  to  obtain  the  indulgence  of  the  jubilee.  Ma- 
ny Protestants   are  much  shaken.     Mad.  B ,  a  widow  of 

this  city,  [Louisville]   sister  of  your   friend, ,  invited  me 

to  see  her,  the  day  before  yesterday,  along  with  Messrs.  Rey- 
nolds and  Kenrick.  She  is  convinced  that  she  cannot  find 
peace  but  in  embracing  the  Catholic  religion.'  But,  (adding 
the  fashionable  French  exclamation,  which  we  cannot  divest 
of  profaneness,)  what  difficulties  to  overcome,  on  the  score  of 
the  ministers,  and  of  her  relations  1' 

The  remaining  part  of  the  letter  is,  mostly,  a  description  of 
the  urgent  wants  of  the  mission,  and  a  pressing  request  to 
make  every  exertion  for  obtaining  a  supply. 

The  next  year  the  same  Bishop  acknowledges  the  reception 
of  13,200  francs,  assigned  to  his  use  by  the  Association  for  the 
propagation  of  the  Faith. 

'  This  sum,'  he  writes, '  has  been  a  great  help  to  me ;  but  I 
shall  still  need  the  good  offices  of  the  Afesociation,  during  a 
long  time.  For  the  love  of  God,  plead  the  cause  of  the  Mis- 
sion of  Kentucky  with  His  Eminence,  the  Grand  Almoner. — 
No  mission,  I  venture  to  say,  offers  to  religion  greater  hopes 
than  this:  but  it  has  been  compelled  by  circumstances,  which 
the  Abbe  Martial  can  recount  to  you,  to  incur  necessary  ex- 
penses, and  those  above  its  present  means.  The  honor  of 
religion  requires  that  they  should  be  paid  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  I  anticipate  this  distinguished  favor,  in  a  great  degree, 
from  the  generosity  of  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Faith.  Convince  LEis  Eminence  that  the  money  sent  me 
IS  not  employed  to  maintain  the  luxury  of  my  table,  or  pride  of 
dress  or  furniture.     Perhaps   there   is  not  in   Paris,  or  in  all 


392  NOTES. 

France,  one  ecclesiastic  in  a  hundred,  who  could  satisfy  him. 
self  with  my  daily  fare;  and  last  winter  I  constantly  wore, 
while  at  the  seminary,  a  garment  presented  me  at  S.  Fleur 
sixteen  years  ago.  In  truth,  I  have  but  one  simple  desire,  and 
I  have  the  happiness  of  inculcating  it  on  all  my  young  priests, 
—that  of  extending  our  holy  religion,  and  laboring  for  the 
glory  of  God.  Do  not,  however,  I  beg  you,  alarm  yourself 
with  my  debts  and  actual  necessities.  1  am,  indeed,  I  confess, 
in  a  painful  condition  now ;  but  every  thing  promises  nie  a 
more  tranquil  issue.  Our  buildings  are  nearly  finished;  we 
have  almost  ninety  boarders  in  the  college,  and  more  than  a 
hundred  and  fifty  abroad.  Besides,  our  personal  expenses 
are  moderate ;  so  that  I  have  the  greatest  confidence  we  shall 
be  able  in  a  short  time  to  liquidate  our  debts, — and  shall  then 
have  the  opportunity  of  educatmg  gratis  a  much  larger  num- 
ber of  pupils  in  our  seminary  for  the  good  of  the  church  in 
Kentucky — and  even  of  the  Bishops,  my  neighbors,  who  have 
no  seminaries  established.* 

Abundant  proof  seems  to  be  offered  in  these  extracts,  of  the 
zeal,  patience,  labor,  and  indefatigable  perseverance  of  the 
Bishop  and  his  helpers.  We  wish  it  may  stimulate  to  equal 
exertions,  many  in  whose  faith,  as  Protestants,  we  have  a 
greater  confidence.  It  speaks  loudly  to  all  among  us,  who 
value  the  liberty  whereicith  Christ  hath  made  them  free,  and 
cannot  consent  to  be  brought  again  into  bondage,  to  use  eflfort 
for  the  propagation  and  establishment,  among  our  brethren  in 
the  West,  of  those  wholesome  institutions  and  religious  ad- 
vantages, of  which  the  descendants  and  successors  of  the  Ley- 
den  pilgrims  are  so  justly  tenacious. 

We  must  proceed,  however,  in  our  extracts.  The  bishop 
feared  his  account  was  too  flattering,  and  that  the  Association 
thinking  his  establishments  highly  prosperous,  would  direct 
their  bounty  to  other  less  promising  stations.  His  next  letter, 
therefore, presents  some  interesting  details:  'They  write  me,' 
says  he,  '  from  different  quarters,  that  the  principal  directors 
of  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  are  scru- 
pulous jf  aiding  my  diocess,  because  they  believe  it  is  suffi- 
ciently established,  and  because  I  have  no  stations  among  the 
savages.  As  you  have  been  long  my  friend,  and  know  per- 
fectly the  sincerity  and  frankness  of  all  my  words  and  actions, 
I  will  enter  into  some  details  on  the  Western  Missions  of  the 
Uniteji  States,  where  I  have  resided  as  Bishop  sixteen  years, 
nnd  was  sent  thirty-five  years  ago  as  a  missionarv. 

'Generally,  we  ought  to  consider  all  the  new  bishoprics  of 


NOTES.  393 

America  as  Sees  destitute  of  all  resoii\es,  which  can  never 
be  solidly  established,  unless  for  half  a  century  they  are  aided 
by  rich  and  pious  souls  in  Europe,  with  zealous  and  learned 
missionaries,  with  money,  and  with  all  kinds  of  church  vessels, 
ornaments  and  decorations. 

'To  ofive  you  a  clear  idea  of  these  bishoprics  in  the  United 
States^  I  will  briefly  narrate  my  own  situation,  when  the  court 
of  Rome,  on  the  presentation  of  Mgr.  Carroll,  had  nominated 
me  lo  the  See  of  Bardstown.  Willing  or  unwilling,  I  was  obli- 
ged to  accept  it;  I  had  not  a  farthing  at  my  command;  the 
Pope  and  the  Cardinals,  who  had  all  been  dispersed  by  the 
revolution,  could  make  me  not  the  smallest  present;  and  M. 
Carroll,  ali hough  he  had  been  for  sixteen  years  a  Bishop,  was 
poorer  than  I — for  he  was  in  debt,  and  I  owed  nothing.  They 
proceeded  at  once  to  consecrate  me,  on  the  4th  of  Nov.  1810; 
but  for  want  of  money' to  defray  the  journey,  I  could  not  set 
out.  It  was  not  until  six  months  after,  that,  in  consequence  of 
a  contribution  made  in  Baltimore,  I  was  able  to  reach  Bards- 
town, my  episcopal  seat.  On  the  9th  of  June,  1811, 1  enter- 
ed this  little  village,  accompanied  by  two  priests,  and  three 
young  men,  students  for  the  ecclesiastical  condition.  Not 
only  had  I  no  money  in  my  purse,  but  had  been  obliged  to 
borrow  nearly  two  thousand  francs  for  the  journey.  So,  with- 
out cash,  without  a  house,  without  possessions,  and  almost 
v/ithout  information,  I  found  myself  in  the  middle  of  a  diocess 
two  or  three  times  larger  than  all  France,  containing  five  large 
States,  and  two  immense  Territories,  and  able  to  converse 
but  imperfectly  in  the  language  of  the  country  itself  Add  to 
this,  that  almost  all  my  Catholics  were  emigrants,  and  very 
poorly  accommodated. 

'After  this  faithful  description,  which  will  suit  all  the  West- 
ern bishoprics  except  New  Orleans,  where  should  I  have  been, 

my  dear  D ,  if  my  kind  friends  of  America  and  Europe 

had  not  generously  succored  me,  and  if  I  had  not  made  the 
best  use  possible  of  their  abundant  alms?  Alas!  I  should  have 
done  nothing — I  should  have  vegetated — all  woulo  have  yet 
remained  to  be  commenced.  It  is  very  true,  that  with  the  aid 
of  friends,  and  the  grace  of  Gou,  I  have  formed  establishments 
which  excite  the  admiration  even  of  those  who  have  most  ef- 
fectually labored  with  me  in  erecting  them.  But,  because  I 
have  known  how  to  put  to  profit  the  precious  g"fts  I  have  re- 
ceived— because  I  have  begun  in  an  admirable. manner,  must 
I  be  left  there  to  behold  the  decay  and  ruin  of  what  had  offer- 
ed such  flattering  hopes  for  the  future  ?    Would  it  not  be  better 


394  NOTES. 

to  aid  me  still  in  consolidating  what  1  had  established  with 
sweat  and  toil, — so  that,  in  a  few  years,  my  seminaries  should 
be,  as  it  were,  a  branch  of  the  Propaganda  of  Rome,  in  which 
might  be  trained  a  sufficiency  of  missionaries  for  Kentucky 
and  the  diocesses  adjacent?  Already  am  I  furnished  with 
buildings  which  can  contain  a  hundred  young  persons,  and  this 
number  1  could  procure,  had  I  the  means  of  feeding  and  de- 
cently clothing  them,  and  could  I  furnish  the  books  necessary 
for  their  education.  I  beg  you,  inform  the  directors,  that  our 
Americans  are  not  like  the  people  of  the  East  Indies.*  Sprung 
from  Europeans,  they  have  the  intelligence,  the  resources  the 
customs  and  manners  necessary  for  the  most  brilliant  educa- 
tion, and  are  capacitated  to  receive  it.  Some  of  my  Kentuck- 
ian  preists  would  do  themselves  honor  at  Paris  and  at  Rome, 
by  their  knowledge,  quickness  of  perception,  learning  and  ex- 
temporaneous eloquence.  They  easily  bend  to  the  rules  of 
the  seminary;  acquire  a  piety  more  solid  than  showy;  are  fond 
of  learning,  and  capable  of  great  application.  Give  me  only 
sufficient  funds,  and  a  few  serious  and  well-instructed  profes- 
sors, and  I  can  assure  the  gentlemen.  Directors  of  the  Associ- 
ation for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith,  that  I  will  soon  form  a 
sufficiency  of  priests  for  even  the  savages.  I  may  indeed  as- 
sert, that  the  savages  can  never  be  assured  of  having  mission- 
aries constantly,  until  it  shall  be  found  practicable  to  form  them 
in  the  country  itself  Finally,  it  is  a  falsehood  to  say  that 
there  are  no  savages  in  my  diocess.  Many  nations  of  these 
poor  barbarians  inhabit  the  borders  of  Indiana  and  Illinois, 
two  States  depending  still  on  7ny  jurisdiction.]  But  I  have  yet  so 
great  need  of  priests  for  the  Catholics  around  me,  that  it  has 
not  been  possible  I  should  employ  myself  in  managing  a  mis- 
sion altogether  different  from  that  I  am  now  conductins;.     The 

...  ^  .   .  . 

almost  invincible  repugnance  these  savages  show  to  civiliza- 
tion, the  degeneracy  and  brutishness  of  their  powers  of  mind, 
their  implacable  hatred  and  revenge,  their  almost  constant  and 
disgusting  drunkenness,  their  insurmountable  indolence,  their 
roving,  vagabond  life,  more  necessary  now  since  the  vicinity 
of  the  whites  has  deprived  them  of  game;  all  this  united — with 
their  continual  traffic  among  the  whites,  which  cannot  be  hin- 

*See  their  case  exhibited  by  the  Abbe  Dubois,  and  the  reply  of  a  Protestant 
DtJssionary  at  Serampore. 

+  Less  is  probably  meant  than  meets  the  ear  in  fliese  unwelcome  sm'd  even 
ai>paie»itly  aiTOgaut  sounds. 


NOTES.  395 

ciered,  as  long  as  the  repiihlican  government  shall  suhsist^ — 
must  render  the  labors  of  missionaries  among  them,  almost 
fruitless. 

^God  forbid,'  he  adds,  'that  I  should  decry  such  missions ; 
but  I  have  been  convinced  for  several  years,  that  the  missions 
among  whites  are  much  more  valuable,  in  regard  to  both  the 
progress  and  the  honor  of  reHgion.  For,  since  the  holy  Cath- 
olic religion  has  exhibited  herself  in  Kentucky  with  a  certain 
splendor, — since  schools  for  girls  and  boys,  into  which  all 
sects  are  admitted,  have  been  multiplied,  our  many  churches 
built^  and  our  doctrine  clearly  and  solidly  explained  in  them  on 
Sundays  and  festivals,  the  most  happy  revolution  is  effected  in 
her  favor.  To  tho  most  inveterate  prejudices  have  succeeded 
astonishment,  admiration,  and  the  desire  of  knowing  our  prin- 
ciples. Now  the  conversions  are  numerous.  In  twelve  jubi- 
lees, wherein  I  have  presided,  more  than  forty  Protestants 
have  entered  the  church;  a  great  number  are  still  preparing 
to  share  the  same  happiness — and  I  have  hardly  gone  over 
the  half  of  Kentucky.' 

The  next  communication  of  the  bishop  covers  a  statistical 
account  of  his  diocese,  drawn  up  by  M.  Kenrick,  a  young  Irish 
priest,  of  whom  he  speaks  in  the  highest  terms. 

Did  our  limits  pero^'t,  it  would  be  gratifying  to  give  this  doc- 
ument entire.  But,  in  fact,  the  preceding  extracts  will  enable 
our  readers  to  form  a  judgment  for  themselves  of  the  extent  to 
which  this  ecclesiastical  enterprise,  on  the  part  of  Rome,  has 
reached.  Yet  we  must  give  another  extract,  and  in  addition 
remark,  that  four  letters  are  published  from  M.  Champonnier, 
*  apostolic  missionary'  at  Vincennes,  with  interesting  details 
respecting  labors  in  that  direction — for  even  parts  of  which, 
however,  Vv-e  have,  at  this  time,  no  room. 

The  extract  we  propose  to  give  consists  of  editorial  remarks 
on  intelligence,  respecting  the  'Mission  of  Ohio.'  The  editor, 
at  the  commencement  of  No.  xvi.  published  in  Jan.  1829, 
observes : 

*In  our  9  h  number,  we  gave  the  Association  some  mterest- 
ing  details  respecting  the  estabhshment  of  the  bishopnc  of 
Cincinnati;  we  exhibited  the  wants  of  this  immense  diocese, 
and  recounted  the  first  labors  of  the  Prelate,  to  whom  the  Ho- 
ly See  has  committed  the  charge  of  this  rising  church.  Mgr. 
Fenwick  has  already  employed  all  his  resources  m  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  cathedral;  aided  by  the  Associaaon  for  the 

*Aiid  can  Rome  begin  alread}' to  calculate  on  ita  ttiniinatknl  'Tiineo 
Danaos  et  dona  ferentes' — we  may  well  exclaim. 


396  NOTES. 

Propagation  of  the  Faith,  he  has  seen  this  edifice  gradually 
rise,  and  at  length,  on  the  17th  of  December,  1826,  he  was 
enabled  to  celebrate  its  consecration.  Eleven  other  churches 
or  chapels  have  been  built  in  different  parishes.  The  Protest- 
ants themselves  rejoice  at  the  sight  of  these  temples  erected  to 
the  true  God,  and  feel  a  peculiar  attachment  for  the  Catholic 
worship,  ivhose  pomp  and  splendor  form  so  striking  a  contrast 
with  the  barrenness  and  nudity  of  the  Protestant  worship. 

'The  number  of  missionaries  in  Ohio  has  not  increased;  on 
ihe  (Contrary,  some  of  the  assistants  of  the  venerable  Bishop  of 
Cincinnati  have  quitted  him  for  various  reasons.  One  of  the 
most  zealous  among  them,  M.  Bellamy,  who  resided  at  Raisic 
River  in  Michigan,  has  embarked  for  the  missions  of  the 
East.  He  has  not  been  deterred  by  the  poverty  and  wretched 
ncss  which  were  his  lot.  His  apostolic  courage  has  conducted 
him  to  a  country  where  there  are  greater  privations  to  sup- 
port, greater  conflicts  to  sustain,  greater  evils  to  endure. 

'We  ought  here  to  notice  the  difference  between  the  Orien- 
tnl  missions  and  the  missions  to  America.  In  China,  and  at 
Tong-King  is  found  a  polytheism,  less  brilliant,  indeed,  than 
that  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  but  equally  as  abject.  Tem- 
ples and  idols  are  beheld  in  every  place ;  courts,  in  which 
Christians  are  arraigned,  and  unjust  judges  who  consign  to 
punishment  the  worshippers  rf  the  true  God.  The  Emperors, 
Ming-Meng  and  Tao-Kwang,*  like  the  persecuting  tyrants  of 
ancient  Rome,  hate  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  proscribe 
his  disciples;  but  they  meet,  among  their  own  subjects,  coura- 
geous imitators  of  the  primitive  martyrs,  who  repeat  before  the 
mandarin  the  heroic  confession,  I  am  a  Christian  !  and  mount 
the  scaffold,  singing  the  hymn  of  thanksgiving.  The  missiona- 
ries who  are  evangelising  these  countries,  worthy  successors 
of  the  Apostles,  have  more  than  once  with  their  blood  fertiliz- 
ed the  soil,  which  before  they  had  moistened  with  their  sweat 
and  their  tears.  Every  year  they  have  the  consolation  of  caus- 
ing many  hundreds  of  infidels  to  abandon  the  worship  of  their 
false  gods,  and  of  regeneiating,  in  the  holy  waters  of  baptism, 
many  thousands  of  pagan  children,  in  danger  of  death.  Here- 
sy has  not  followed  us  upon  this  field  of  battle ;  in  her  favor 
the  voice  of  the  blood  of  martys  has  never  been  heard;  she 
cannot  inspire  her  converts  with  courage  to  die  for  her.j 

*Such  is  the  English  spelling  authorized  by  Dr.  Morrison.  The  French  is 
Minh-Menh,  Tao-Kouan. 

+Are  the  martyrs  under  Mary  of  England,  and  the  other  persecutors  of 
0iX)ttEtants,  forgotten^    But,  possibly,  they  vveie  not  heretics. 


NOTES.  397 

*Lot  us  now  consider  the  missions  of  America.  In  this  coun- 
try we  find  not,  as  in  India,  a  government  which  proscribes 
Christianity.  The  government  of  the  United  States  has  thought 
fit  to  adopt  a  complete  inditference  toward  all  the  religions. 
Missionaries,  therefore,  have  neither  persecution  to  fear,  noi 
protection  to  hope.  Their  ministry,  however,  is  not  the  less 
laborious. 

'It  is  easy  to  conceive  what  fatigue  must  be  endured,  and 
what  perils  mast  be  incurred  by  those  apostolic  men  who  are 
travellmg  without  cessation  the  rugged  mountains  of  Kentucky 
and  Teimessee,  or  the  forests  of  Ohio,  Missouri,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, etc.  The  traveller,  whom  necessity  conducts  into  these 
desert  portions  of  the  United  States,  cannot  penetrate  them 
without  trembling.  He  must  scale  precipices,  traverse  the 
streams,  the  muddy  marshes,  the  tangled  woods ;  his  progress 
is  disputed  by  ferocious  beasts  and  loathsome  reptiles;  during 
ihe  day  he  is  terrified  at  the  vast  solitude  which  surrounds  him 
— and  fears  he  shall  fall  into  the  midst  of  some  tribe  of  inhos- 
pitable savages;  and  when  night  arrives,  he  enjoys  no  repose 
— for  if  he  sleeps,  it  is  but  a  disturbed  slumber.  His  excited 
imagination  presents  continually  before  him  the  rattlesnake, 
the  tiger  of  the  forest,  or  bear  of  the  mountain,  or  alligator  of 
the  stream.  Charity,  evanorelical  zeal  alone  can  engage  the 
missionaries  to  suffer  exile  in  these  distant  regions.  Each  of 
them  is  charged  with  a  parish  of  sixty,  eighty,  or  near  a  hun- 
dred leagues  in  extent.  They  traverse  it  unceasingly,  to 
furnish  the  Catholics  confided  to  their  care  with  the  aids  of 
their  ministry;  and  the  year  closes  before  they  have  been  able 
to  visit  them  all.  Genuine  pilgrims  on  earth,  they  make  no 
where  a  long  abode ;  nothing  stops  them  in  their  apostolic  ca- 
reer, neither  the  penetrating  cold  nor  the  overpowering  heat 
— both  excessive  in  this  climate.  They  advance  with  no  oth- 
er arms  than  a  cross,  for  in  the  cross  they  find  the  necessary 
strength  to  sustain  such  fatigue,  and  to  despise  the  many  dan- 
gers they  meet  at  every  step.  Often  does  night  ovf^rtake  them 
in  the  midst  of  the  woods.  The  hissing  of  snakes,  and  cries  of 
ferocious  beasts  sound  in  their  ears.  The  ruins  of  an  Indian 
hut  afford  them  a  retreat,  and  they  fall  asleep  reflecting  that 
Providence  is  watching  over  them.  Oh  power  cf  charity '  O 
prodigy  of  apor.tolic  zeal! 

'The  missions  of  America  are  of  high  importance  to  the 
church.  The  superabundant  population  of  ancient  Europe  is 
flowmg  towards  the  United  States.  Each  one  arrives,  not  with 
his  religion,  but  with  bis  indifference.     The  greater  part  are 

2L 


398  NOTES. 

disposed  to  embrace  the  doctrine,  whatever  it  be,  which  is  first 
preached  to  them.  We  must  make  haste;  the  moments  are 
precious.  America  may  one  day  become  the  centre  of  civili- 
zation, and,  shall  truth  or  error  establish  there  its  empire? — 
If  the  Protestant  sects  are  beforehand  with  us,  it  will  be  diJicuU 
to  destroy  their  inf.uence. 

•'Mgr.  Fenwick,'  adds  the  editor,  'is  laboring  with  an  admi- 
rable zeal  to  combat  this  influence  of  the  Protestant  sects  in 
the  mission  entrusted  to  him.  Numerous  conversions  have  al- 
ready crowned  his  efforts ;  and  he  has  even  been  able  to  estab- 
lish a  convent,  all  the  nuns  of  which  are  Protestants,  who  have 
abjured  their  former  faith.' 

But  we  have  no  space  for  further  extracts  from  this  deeply 
interesting,  and  to  us,  humiliating  correspondence.  It  remains 
only  to  state  briefly  what  was  done  in  France  for  the  last  year, 
toward  sustaining  the  Romish  missions  in  our  heretofore  fond- 
ly-termed Protestant  Republic; — concerning  which  we  should 
not  speak  in  such  terms,  were  it  not  that  we  know  the  religion 
of  Rome  to  be  precisely  what  the  corrupt  heart  and  the  proud 
imagination  of  man  craves — splendid,  specious  and  superficial 
in  its  forms — indulgent  in  its  permissions,  especially  to  the 
rich — easy  in  its  penances,  which  pacify  the  guilt)^,  and  en- 
courage to  new  crimes,  as  easily  pardoned — seductive  and 
magnificent  in  its  promises,  but  exalting  itself  against  the 
Truth  of  God,  and  substituting  for  it  the  vanity  of  useless  tra- 
ditions—cruel and  vindictive  in  its  enmities,  though  it  retain 
amiable  and  estimable  men  within  its  bounds — rotten  as  a  sys- 
tem, and  in  regard  to  its  factitious  pomp  of  ceremonies,  digni- 
ties and  orders,  though  possessing  many  elements  of  truth — and 
jn  Scripture  designated  as  the  mother  of  harlots,  and  of  the 
abominations  of  the  earth. 

In  1828  the  Association  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith 
collected  a  sum,  which,  with  an  amount  on  hand,  made  271,999 
francs,  75  centimes;  of  which  they  were  able  to  distribute 
among  the  several  missions  254,939  fr.  70  c.  Of  this  last 
amouHt  there  was  assigned  to  the  Missions  of  America  the 
sum  of  120,000  francs— being  about  $24,000.  The  items 
were  as  follows: 

To  Mgr.  Fenwick,  bishop  of  Cincinnati,  in  Ohio      20;'j00  fr. 
To  Mgr.  Richard,  bishop  of  Detroit,  in  Michigan       7,500 
To  Mgr.  Flaget,  bishop  of  Bardstown,  in  Kentucky  20,000 
To  Mgr.  Rosati,  bishop  of  St.  Louis,  and  Adminis- 

irator  of  New  Orleans :  for  Missouri  20,000 

for  Louisiana  10,000 


NOTES.  399 

To  Mgr.  Portier,  bishop  of  Mobile,  in  Alabama         15,000   fr 
To  Mgr.  Whitetield,  archbishop  of  Baltimore,  5,000 

To  Mgr.  Dubois,  bishop  of  New  York  7,500 

To  Mgr.  England,  bisuop  of  Charleston  5,000 

To  M.  Bachelot,  Apostolic  Prefect  of  the  Sandwich 

Islands  10,000 

We  have  not  the  means  of  giving  an  accurate,  statistical 
view  of  the  number  belonging  to  the  Papal  Church  in  the 
United  States.  We  shall  endeavor  to  do  this  at  a  future  day— 
perhaps  in  our  next  number.  The  population  belonging  to 
this  church  has  been  variously  stated.  We  are  inclined  to  be- 
lieve it  to  be  half  a  million.  The  archbishop  of  this  church  :s 
James  Whitetield,  of  Baltimore.  Bishops,  Benedict  Josepn 
Flaget,  of  Bardstown,  Ky.,  John  England  of  Charleston,  S.  C 
Edw^ard  Fenwick  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Joseph  Rosati,  of  St 
Louis  Mo.  Benedict  Joseph  Fenwick,  of  Boston,  John  Dubois, 
of  New  York,  Michael  Portier,  of  Mobile,  John  B.  M.  David, 
of  Mauricastro,  and  coadjutor  to  the  Bishop  of  Bardstown, 
Henry  Conwall,  of  Philadelphia.  They  have  periodical  pub- 
lications at  Charleston,  S.  C,  Hartford,  and  Boston.  A  Con- 
vention of  the  prelates  met  at  Baltimore  in  October  last,  and 
addressed  a  pastoral  letter  to  the  laity  in  the  United  States. — 
The  principal  matters  of  exhortation  are — necessity  of  greatly 
increasing  the  number  of  the  priests — the  importance  of  the 
education  of  children — influence  through  means  of  the  press — 
interpreting  the  scriptures  "  according  to  the  unanimous  con- 
sent of  the  church" — adherence  to  the  principles  and  govern 
ment  of  the  church — urgency  of  efforts  to  disseminate  the 
true  faith,  &c. — We  trust  in  God  that  the  "Mother  Church"  is 
not  to  become  in  the  United  States  what  she  is  now  in  south- 
ern or  even  in  central  Europe.  But  this  is  to  be  prevented, 
let  it  be  remembered,  and  pondered  well,  by  far  greater  efforts 
on  the  part  of  Protestants,  to  spread  the  Word  of  Life,  and  the 
blessings  of  a  Christian  Ministry.  The  efforts  of  Jesuits  are 
not  to  he  despised. 

In  the  United  States  the  Popish  Hierarchy  is  composed  of 
one  Archbishop  and  eleven  Bishops;  the  number  of  Pru^sts  is 
not  far  from  230.  They  have  seven  ecclesiastical  Seminaries, 
ten  Colleges  and  collegiate  institutions,  several  Academies  for 
boys,  twenty  nunneries,  to  which  are  attached  female  acade- 
mies, besides  numerous  other  primary  and  charity  schools,  un- 
der the  instruction  of  priests  and  nuns,  and  according  to 
the  estimate  of  the  late  Coun  :il  at  Baltimore,  a  population 
of  500,000. 


2^00  NOTES. 

INQUISITION. 

This  tribunal;  the  most  infamous  by  which  the  history  of  the 
world  has  been  disgraced,  was  instituted  in  the  beginning  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  exter 
mination  of  heretical  pravity  from  among  mankind.  Its  intro- 
duction and  establishment  constitute  the  most  awful  demon 
stration  that  could  possibly  have  been  given  of  the  apostacy 
of  the  Papal  church,  and  a  most  unequivocal  and  dreadful 
proof  of  her  anti-Christian  character.  Any  thing  more  abhor- 
rent to  justice  than  the  procedure  of  this  tribunal — any  thing 
more  revolting  to  humanity  than  the  punishments  which  it  im- 
posed— any  thing  more  at  war  with  religion  than  the  spirit 
which  it  displayed — any  thing,  in  short,  more  entirely  destruc- 
tive to  the  peace  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  than  its  exis- 
tence and  operation,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive.  It  did  not 
seem  enough  to  the  profligate  ecclesiastics  who  sought  to  be- 
come masters  of  the  world,  that  they  had  in'iposed  restraints 
upon  liberty  of  thought,  and  induced  an  almost  universal  mid- 
night darkness,  and  gained  the  implicit  reverence  of  almost  all 
the  princes  and  the  nations  of  Europe;  there  seemed  to  be 
some  formidable  institution  still  wanting  in  their  system  of 
degradation,  by  which  their  unhallowed  triumph,  wheresoever 
it  was  not  fully  achieved,  might  be  completed,  and  which 
might  seem  like  some  mighty  giant  standing  at  the  gate  of  the 
gloomy  edifice  which  they  had  reared,  and  frowning  destruc- 
tion on  all  by  whom  it  should  be  assailed.  This  institution 
they  found  in  the  court  of  the  Inquisition.  Organized  for  the 
avowed  purpose  of  punishing  and  exterminating  heresy,  it 
came,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  in  consequence  of  the  ex- 
tensive interpretation  which  that  term  received,  to  take  cogni- 
zance of  every  thing  which  the  Inquisitors  thought  proper  to 
regard  as  a  crime.  It  was  heresy,  to  reject  even  one  tenet 
which  had  been  sanctioned  by  the  councils  or  the  court  of 
Rome;  to  read  an  interdicted  book;  to  be  kind  to  an  excom- 
municated person;  to  utter  an  unguarded  expression  respect- 
ing the  Papal  authority;  or  even  to  manifest  natural  aflection 
to  the  dearest  earthly  friend,  who  had  incurred  the  censure 
of  the  church.  In  consequence  of  such  an  extensive  interpre- 
tation of  the  crime  of  heresy,  the  life  of  almost  every  man 
was  put  under  the  power  of  this  most  extraordinary  tribunal. 
Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  Inquisition,  positive  crime 
was  not  necessary  in  order  to  bring  persons  under  the  cogni- 
zance of  that  -ruthless  court:  it  was  sufficient  to  be  suspected 


NOTES.  401 

of  heresy,  and  the  slightest  degree  of  suspicion,  however  des- 
titute of  foundation,  was  enough  to  involve  those  to  whom  it  at- 
tached, in  proceedings  which  might  terminate  in  their  tempo- 
ral ruin,  and  their  death.  Even  when  no  ground  for  suspicion 
existed,  accusations  were  basely  fabricated,  and  the  innocent 
and  unsuspecting  were  imprisoned,  that  their  property  might 
be  forfeited,  and  their  all  sacrificed  to  the  avarice  and  villany 
of  the  church. 

The  mode  of  proceeding  which  this  court  adopted  in  the 
])rosccution  of  its  victims,  was  not  less  extraordinary  and  un- 
just, than  that  by  which  they  were  brought  under  its  power. — 
Secrecy,  dishonest  and  tyrannical  secrecy,  under  cover  of 
which  the  most  flagrant  crimes  might  be  perpetrated,  was  its 
peculiar  characteristic.  The  apprehension  of  the  unhappy 
victims  of  inquisitorial  villany  was  not  permitted  to  transpire. 
Generally,  in  the  dead  hour  of  night  this  deed  of  darkness  was 
done ;  and  with  so  much  dexterity  was  it  conducted  by  the  fa- 
miliars of  the  holy  office,  that  not  only  those  who  lived  in  the 
same  neighborhood,  but  even  those  who  were  members  of  the 
same  family,  in  many  instances,  knew  nothing  of  it.  One 
striking  examnle  of  this  is  mentioned  by  the  historian  of  the 
Spanish  Inquisition,  in  case  of  a  father,  three  sons,  and  three 
daughters,  who,  although  they  lived  together  in  the  same 
house,  were  all  carried  prisoners  to  the  Inquisition,  without 
knowing  any  thing  of  one  another's  being  there,  till  seven 
years  afterwards,  when  those  who  were  alive  were  brought 
forth  to  an  Auto-da-fe ! 

Lest  any  of  its  infernal  secrets  might  be  disclosed,  no 
sounds  were  permitted  to  be  heard  throughout  the  dismal 
apartments  of  the  Inquisition.  The  poor  prisoner  was  not 
allowed  to  bewail  his  fate,  or,  in  an  audible  voice,  to  offer  up 
his  prayers  to  Him  who  is  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed ;  nay, 
even  to  cough  was  to  be  guilty  of  a  crime,  which  was  immedi- 
ately punished.  A  poor  prisoner,  we  are  told  by  Limborch, 
was  on  one  occasion  heard  to  cough;  the  jailors  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion instantly  repaired  to  him,  and  warned  him  to  forbear,  as 
the  slightest  noise  was  not  tolerated  in  that  house.  The  man 
replied  that  it  was  not  in  his  power  to  forbear;  a  second  time 
they  admonished  him  to  desist;  and  when  again,  the  poor  man, 
unable  to  do  otherwise,  had  repeated  the  offence,  they  stripped 
him  naked,  and  cruelly  beat  him.  This  increased  his  cougl> 
for  which  they  beat  him  so  often,  that  at  last  he  died  through 
the  pain  and  anguish  of  the  stripes  which  he  had  received! 

From  the  moment  that  the  hapless  victims  of  this  dreadfu. 
2  l2 


402  NOTES. 

tnbuna^  were  arraigned  before  it,  an  utter  violation  of  jusiice 
characterised  every  step  of  the  proceedings  that  were  institu 
ted  against  them.  No  information  was  given  to  the  wretched 
prisoner  respecting  the  crime  of  which  he  had  been  accused. 
The  grand  o';>ject  of  the  Inquisitors  was  to  make  him  inform 
against  himself;  with  his  accusers,  or  the  witnesses  against 
him,  he  was  never  confronted;  nay,  he  knew  not  even  their 
names.  He  was  told  that  the  holy  fathers  never  proceeded 
save  on  the  most  unquestionable  information;  was  exhorted  to 
reflect  on  his  past  life,  and  to  tell  ingenuously  the  sins  which 
he  had  committed ;  and  was  assured  that  ingenuous  confession 
would  procure  for  him  a  mitigation  of  the  punishment  which 
his  crime  might  deserve.  Rarely  were  their  efforts  unsuccess- 
ful. By  operating  successively  on  their  victim's  hopes  and 
fears — now  fawning  and  then  frowning — one  while  affecting 
to  pity,  another  while  uttering  dreadful  menaces;  at  one  time 
deluding  him  with  promises  of  speedy  deliverance,  at  another 
threatening  racks,  and  dungeons,  and  burning  flames;  or  if 
these  methods  availed  not,  by  a  train  of  excruciating  torments, 
in  the  invention  of  which  more  than  human  ingenuity  seemed 
to  have  been  employed,  and  in  the  application  of  which  more 
than  human  cruelty  seemed  to  have  been  displayed;  and,  by 
tedious  confinement  in  some  solitary,  noisome  dungeon,  where 
his  eye  never  beheld  the  light  of  heaven,  and  no  sounds  ever 
fell  upon  his  ear,  save  the  clanking  of  his  fetters,  and  the  stern 
voice  of  the  man  who  daily  brought  him  his  miserable  pittance 
of  bread  and  water; — in  this  way  did  the  Inquisition  generally 
bring  their  unhappy  prisoner  to  accuse  himself,  to  confess 
crimes  of  which  he  was  innocent,  and  thus  to  become  the  in- 
strument of  his  own  destruction. 

It  was  against  the  poor,  but  memorable  people,  known  by 
the  name  of  Waldenses,  that  the  operations  of  this  infernal 
tribunal  were  first  directed.  Dwelling  in  the  deep  sequestered 
valleys  of  the  Alps,  and  greatly  unknown  and  unheeded  by 
the  rest  of  the  world,  this  interesting  people  preserved,  for 
many  ages,  the  purity  of  Christian  worship  and  Christian 
manners:  and  their  little  region  was  the  scene  of  light  and 
verdure,  while  all  around  it  was  darkness  and  desolation.  Bat 
persecution  entered  their  peaceful  retreats  It  wa*not  to  le 
brooked  by  the  haughty  priest  at  Rome,  that  tnis  sim})!e  people 
should  remain  strangers  to  the  Papal  yoke,  and  be  permitted, 
without  interruption,  to  worship  God  according  to  his  word, 
apart  from  the  Roman  abominations.  In  the  ears  of  surround- 
'ng  princes  their  atrocious  heresy  was  proclaimed  j  and  it  was 


NOTLS.  -  403 

declared  to  be  more  meritorious  and  pleasing  to  heaven)  to  un- 
dertake a  crusade  against  them,  than  even  against  the  infidel 
possessors  of  the  Holy  Land.  Armies  were  accordingly  as- 
sembled at  the  nod  of  the  pontiff;  against  a  people  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy,  was  the  tempest  of  their  ungodly  fury 
let  loose;  and  the  lone  valleys  of  the  Waldenses,  where  the 
sound  of  War  had  never  been  heard,  became  the  scene  of  out- 
rage and  ruthless  devastation.  In  this  truly  anti-christian  work 
of  extirpatmg  heretics  and  heresy  together,  was  the  Inquisition 
devised  and  established  to  yield  its  aid — as  if  the  ordinary  op- 
erations of  pontifical  vengeance  would  have  too  tardily  accom- 
plished the  annihilation  of  this  weak,  unresisting,  harmless 
people.  The  detail  of  its  atrocious  proceedings  in  their  ill- 
fated  land — of  the  havoc  which  it  made  among  the  humble 
disciples  of  Jesus  Christ — of  the  tortures  which  it  inflicted — 
and  of  the  martyring  flames  which  it  lighted  up,  will  remain 
in  the  historian''s  page  an  indelible  memorial  of  its  character, 
and  of  the  monstrous  wickedness  of  the  system  that  gave  it 
birth.  Over  this  devoted  and  truly  christian  people,  among 
whom  the  truth  of  God  was  preserved,  when  all  the  surround- 
mg  world  had  forsaken  it,  did  persecuting  Rome,  after  ages  of 
bloodshed  and  martyrdom,  gain  a  melancholy  triumph; — the 
crossed  banners  of  Popery  floated  over  deserted  villages,  and 
the  wrecks  of  conflagrated  towns,  and  the  poor  remains  of  the 
Waldensian  church,  driven  to  strange  lands,  or  retired  in  the 
mountains  and  lurking-places  of  their  own  beloved  land,  wept 
in  secret  over  its  sad  desolations,  and  cried  to  him  who  is  the 
refuge  of  the  oppressed,  that  he  would  arise  and  plead  his  own 
cause. 

In  other  parts  of  Europe  was  this  bloody  court  soon  erected, 
and,  that  the  poor  heathen  who  had  never  heard  of  the  name 
of  Jesus,  might  have  a  specimen  of  the  tender  mercies  of 
christian  men,  and  might  be  gained  over  as  converts  to  the 
christian  faith,  its  establishment  was  extended  to  Pagan  lands. 
Nowhere,  however,  has  its  operation  been  more  powerful  and 
terrific  than  in  the  kingdom  of  Spain.  Eight  hundred  persons 
have  been  condemned  at  once  by  one  of  its  tribunals;  and,  in 
the  year  14S1,  the  Inquisition  of  Seville  condemned  to  the 
flames  no  fewer  than  two  thousand  persons,  and  nearly  twenty 
thousand  more  to  various  inferior  degrees  of  punishment. — 
During  hundreds  of  years,  the  Inquisition  has  been  the  terror 
of  the  Spanish  people,  and  has  contributed  more  than  any  oth- 
er institution  to  reduce  to  the  lowest  pitch  of  degradaUon  their 
national  character.    "Its  form  of  proceedings  is  an  mfallible 


104  NOTES. 

way  to  destroy  whomsoever  the  inquisitors  wish.  The  prison- 
ers are  not  confronted  with  the  accuser  or  informer.  Nor  is 
there  any  informer  or  witness  who  is  not  listened  to.  A  pub- 
lic convict,  a  notorious  nialcf  ictor,  an  infamous  person,  a  com- 
mon proscitute,  a  child,  are,  in  the  holy  otiice,  though  no  where 
f /se,  credible  accusers  and  witnesses.  Even  the  son  may  de- 
pone against  his  father,  and  the  wife  against  her  husband. 

This  procedure,  unheard  of  till  the  institution  of  this  court, 
makes  the  whole  kingdom  tremble.  Suspicion  reigns  in  every 
breast.  Friendship  and  quietness  are  at  an  end.  The  broth- 
er dreads  his  brother,  the  father  his  son." 

This  is  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition! — a  tribunal  more 
blasphemous,  and  dishonoring  to  the  God  of  Mercy,  and  'our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  more  awfully  degrading  to  mankind, 
than  any  other  institution  that  ever  has  existed  upon  earth. — 
Everlasting  infamy  v/ill  rest  upon  its  name ;  and  the  execra- 
tions of  the  wise  and  the  good  in  all  ages,  will  light  upon  the 
unhallowed  system  that  gave  it  birth. 


Damnation   and  Excommunication   of  Elizabeth^   Queen  of 
England,  and  her  adherents. 

Pius,  for  a  perpetual  meiviorial  of  the  jmatter. 

I.  He  that  reigneth  on  high,  to  whom  is  given  all  power  in 
Heaven  and  on  Earth,  committed  one  Holy,  Catholic,  and 
Apostolic  Church  out  of  which  there  is  no  salvation,  to  one 
alone  upon  earth,  to  Peter  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  to 
Petoi*'s  successor  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  to  be  governed  in  ful- 
ness of  power.  Him  alone  he  made  prince  over  all  people, 
and  all  kingdoms,  to  pluck  up,  destroy,  scatter,  consume,  plant, 
and  build,  that  he  may  retain  the  faithful,  that  are  knit  together 
with  the  band  of  charity,  in  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  and  present 
them  spotless  and  unblamable  to  their  Saviour.  In  discharge 
of  which  function,  we  who  are,  by  God's  goodness,  called  to 
the  government  of  the  aforesaid  church,  spare  no  pains,  labor- 
ing with  all  earnestness,  that  unity  and  the  religion,  which  the 
author  thereof  hath  for  the  trial  of  his  children's  faith,  and  for 
our  amendment,  suffered  to  be  exercised  with  so  great  affiic' 
tions,  might  be  preserved  uncorrupted. 

II.  But  the  number  of  the  ungodly  hath  gotten  such  power, 
that  there  is  now  no  place  left  in  the  whole  world,  v/hich  they 
have  not  essayed  to  corrupt  with  their  most  wicked  doctrines. 
\mongst  others,  Elizabeth,  the  pretended  Queen  of  England 


NOTES.  405 

a  slave  of  wickedness,  lending  thereunto  her  helping-hand, 
with  whom,  as  in  a  sanctuary,  the  most  pernicious  of  all  men 
have  found  a  refuge,  this  very  woman  having  seized  on  the 
kingdom,  ana  monstrously  usurping  the  place  of  the  Supreme 
Head  of  the  church  in  all  England,  and  the  chief  authority  and 
jurisdiction  thereof,  hath  again  brought  back  the  same  king- 
dom into  miserable  destruction,  which  was  then  newly  reduced 
to  the  faith,  and  to  good  order.  For  having  by  strong  hand, 
inhibited  the  exercise  of  the  true  religion,  which  INlary  the 
lawful  Queen,  of  famous  memory,  had,  by  the  help  of  this  See, 
restored,  after  it  had  been  formerly  overthrown  by  King  Hen- 
ry VIII.  a  revolter  therefrom,  and  following  and  embracing 
the  errors  of  heretics,  she  hath  removed  the  royal  council, 
consisting  of  the  English  nobility,  and  filled  it  with  obscure 
men,  being  heretics;  hath  oppressed  the  embracers  of  the  Ro- 
man faith,  hath  placed  impious  preachers,  ministers  of  iniqui- 
ty, and  abolished  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  prayers,  fastings, 
distinction  of  meats,  a  single  life,  and  the  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies; hath  commanded  books  to  be  read  in  the  whole  realm, 
containing  manifest  heresy,  and  impious  mysteries  and  institu- 
tions, by  herself  entertained  and  observed,  according  to  the 
precept  of  Calvin,  to  be  likewise  observed  by  her  subjects; 
hath  presumed  to  throw  bishops,  parsons  of  churches,  and  oth- 
er priests,  out  of  their  churches  and  benefices,  and  to  bestow 
them  and  other  church-livings  upon  heretics,  and  to  determine 
of  church  causes;  hath  prohibited  the  prelates,  clergy,  and 
people,  to  acknowledge  the  church  of  Rome,  or  obey  the  pre- 
cepts and  canonical  sanctions  thereof;  hath  compelled  most  of 
them  to  condescend  to  her  wicked  laws;  and  to  abjure  the  au- 
thority and  obedience  of  the  bishop  of  Rome,  and  to  acknowl- 
edge her  to  be  sole  lady,  in  temporal  and  spiritual  matters, 
and  this  by  oath;  hath  imposed  penalties  and  punishments  on 
those  who  obeyed  not,  and  exacted  them  of  those  who  perse- 
vered in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  their  obedience  aforesaid; 
and  hath  cast  the  Roman  prelates  and  rectors  of  churches  into 
prison,  where  many  of  them,  being  spent  with  long  languish- 
ing and  sorrow,  have  miserably  ended  their  lives. 

III.  All  which  things,  seeing  they  are  manifest  and  notori- 
ous  to  all  nations,  and  by  the  greatest  testimony  of  very  many 
so  substantially  proved,  that  there  is  no  place  at  all  left  for  ex- 
cuse, defence,  or  evasion;  we,  seeing  that  impurities  and  wick- 
ed actions  are  multiplied  one  upon  another;  and,  moreover, 
that  the  persecution  of  the  faithful,  and  affliction  for  religion 
groweth  every  day  heavier  and  heavier,  through  the  indigna 


406  NOTES. 

tion  and  means  of  the  said  Elizaheth:  because  we  understanc 
her  mind  to  be  so  hardened  and  indurate,  that  she  liath  noi 
only  contemned  the  godly  req;:ests  and  admonitions  of  princes, 
concerning  her  heahng,  and  conversion,  but  also  hath  not  so 
much  as  permitted  the  Nuncios  of  this  See  to  cross  the  seas  in 
to  England,  are  forced  of  necessity  to  betake  to  the  weapons 
of  justice  against  her,  and  not  being  able  to  mitigate  our  sor- 
row, that  we  are  constrained  to  take  punishment  upon  one,  to 
Wfiose  ancestors  the  whole  state  of  Christendom  hath  been  so 
much  bounden. 

IV.  Being  therefore  supported  with  his  authority,  whose 
pleasure  it  was  to  place  us,  though  unequal  to  so  great  a  bur- 
den in  this  supreme  throne  of  justice,  we  do,  out  of  the  fulness 
of  our  Apostolic  power,  declare  the  aforesaid  Elizabeth,  being 
a  heretic,  and  a  favorer  of  heretics,  and  her  adherence  in  the 
matter  aforesaid,  to  have  incurred  the  sentence  of  anathema, 
and  to  be  cut  off  from  the  unity  of  the  body  of  Christ.  And, 
moreover,  we  do  declare  her  to  be  deprived  of  her  pretended 
title  to  the  kingdom  aforesaid,  and  of  all  dominion,  dignity, 
and  privilege  whatsoever:  and  also  the  nobility,  subjects,  and 
people  of  the  said  kingdom,  and  all  others  which  have  in  any 
sort  sworn  unto  her,  to  be  forever  absolved  from  any  such 
oath,  and  all  manner  of  duty,  of  dominion,  allegiance,  and 
obedience;  as  we  also  do,  by  the  authority  of  these  presents, 
absolve  them,  and  do  deprive  the  same  Elizabeth  of  her  pre- 
tended title  to  the  kingdom,  and  all  other  things  aforesaid. — 
And  we  do  command  and  interdict  all  and  every  on>  >  of  the 
noblemen,  subjects,  people,  and  others  aforesaid,  that  tiiey  pre- 
sume not  to  obey  her,  or  her  admonitions,  mandates,  an  1  laws; 
and  those  who  shall  do  the  contrary,  we  do  innodate  w  ith  the 
like  sentence  of  anathema. 

Given  at  Rome,  in  the  year  1570. 


Excommunication  pronounced  by  Philip  Dunn,  against  Fran- 
cis Freeman,  icJio  embraced  the  Protestant  faith  in  1705, 
found  among  that  Prelate^s  papers  in  his  house,  WicJclow. 

By  the  authority  of  God  the  Father  Almighty,  and  the  bles 
Bed  Virgin  Mary,  and  of  Peter,  and  Paul,  and  all  the  Holy 
Saints,  we  excommunicate  Francis  Freeman,  late  of  the  coun- 
ty of  Dublin,  but  now  of  Juckmill,  in  the  county  of  Wicklow, 
that,  in  spite  of  God,  and  Peter,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  Holy 
Saints,  and  in  spite  of  our  most  Holy  Father  the  Pope,  God's 


NOTES.  407 

Ticar  on  earth,  and  in  spite  of  Philip  Dunn,  our  diocesan  and 
worshipful  Canons,  who  serve  God  daily,  hSth  apostatized  to  a 
most  damnable  religion,  full  of  heresy,  and  blasphemy;  excon- 
municated  let  him  be,  and  delivered  over  to  the  devil,  as  a  per 
petual  malefactor  and  schismatic;  accursed  let  him  be  in  ali 
cities,  and  all  towns,  in  fields,  in  ways,  in  yards,  in  houses,  and 
in  all  other  places,  whether  lying  or  rising,  walking  or  run- 
ning, leaning  or  standing,  waking  or  sleeping,  eating  or  drink- 
ing, or  whatsoever  thing  he  does  besides:  we  separate  hitn 
from  the  threshold  and  all  good  prayers  of  the  Church;  from 
the  participation  of  the  Holy  Jesus;  from  all  sacraments,  chap- 
els and  altars;  from  the  holy  bread  and  holy  water;  from  ail 
the  merit  of  God's  holy  priests  and  religious  men;  and  from 
their  cloisters,  and  all  pardons,  privileges,  grants,  and  immuni- 
ties which  all  the  Holy  Popes  have  granted  them;  and  we  give 
him  over,  utterly  to  the  fiend ;  and  let  him  quench  his  soul 
when  dead  in  the  pains  of  Hell  fire,  as  this  candle  is  quenched 
and  put  out;  and  let  us  pray  to  God,  our  Lady,  Peter  and  Paul, 
that  all  the  senses  of  his  body  may  fail,  as  now  the  light  of  this 
candle  is  gone,  except  he  come,  on  sight  hereof,  and  openly 
confess  his  damnable  heresy  and  blasphemy,  and  by  repentance 
make  amends,  as  much  as  in  him  lies,  to  God,  our  Lady,  Peter, 
and  the  worshipful  company  of  this  Church;  and  as  the  staff 
of  this  holy  cross  now  falls  down,  so  may  he,  except  he  re 
cants  and  repents.  Philip  Duxn. 


Dreadful  form  of  excommunication  denounced  against  the 
Pope'^s  alum-make?',  vho,  having  abandoned  his  holiness,  in 
troduced  the  secrets  of  his  trade  into  England. 

"By  the  authority  of  God  Almighty,  Father,  Son,  and  HoJy 
Ghost,  and  of  the  holy  Canons,  and  of  the  Immaculate  Virgii. 
Mary,  the  Mother  and  Patroness  of  our  Saviour;  and  all  the 
celestial  virtues,  angels,  archangels,  thrones,  dominions,  pov/- 
ers,  cherubims,  and  seraphims;  and  of  all  the  holy  patriarchs 
and  prophets;  and  of  all  the  apostles,  and  evangelists;  and 
of  all  the  holy  innocents,  v/ho,  in  the  sight  of  the  Lamb,  arc 
found  worthy  to  sing  the  new  song;  of  the  holy  martyrs  and 
holy  confessors;  and  of  the  holy  virgins,  and  of  all  the  saints, 
and  together  with  all  the  holy  and  elect  of  God,  we  exconunu- 
nicate  and  anathematize  this  thief  or  this  malefactor  N:  iVnd 
from  the  thresholds  of  the  holy  Church  of  God  Almighty,  we 
sequester  him,  that  he  may  be  tormented,  disposed  and  deliv*  * 


408  NOTES. 

ered  over  with  Dathan  and  Abiram,  and  with  those  who  s&y 
unto  the  Lord  God,  Depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not  tho 
knowledge  of  thy  ways.  And  as  fire  is  quenched  with  water, 
so  let  the  light  of  him  be  put  for  evermore,  unless  it  shall  re- 
pent him,  and  he  make  satisfaction.     Amen. 

JNIay  God  the  Father,  who  created  man,  curse  him.  May 
the  Son,  who  suffered  for  us,  curse  him.  May  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  was  given  for  us  in  baptism,  curse  him.  May  the  Holy . 
Cross,  which  Christ,  for  our  salvation,  triumphing  ascended, 
curse  him.  May  the  holy  and  Eternal  Virgin  Mary  curse  him. 
May  Michael,  the  advocate  of  holy  souls,  curse  him.  May 
John,  the  chief  forerunner  and  baptist  of  Christ,  curse  him. 
May  the  holy  and  wonderful  company  of  Martyrs,  curse  him. 
May  Peter,  Paul,  Andrew,  and  all  other  Christ's  Apostles,  to- 
gether with  the  rest  of  his  disciples,  and  four  evangelists, 
curse  him.  May  the  holy  choir  of  the  holy  Virgins,  who,  for 
the  honor  of  Christ,  have  despised  the  things  of  the  world, 
curse  him.  May  all  the  Saints,  who  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  to  everlasting  ages,  are  found  to  be  the  beloved  of  God, 
curse  him.  May  the  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  the  holy  things 
therein  remaining,  curse  him.  May  he  be  cursed  wherever 
he  be,  whether  in  the  house  or  in  the  field,  or  in  the  high  way, 
or  in  the  path,  or  in  the  wood,  or  in  the  water,  or  in  the  church. 
May  he  be  cursed  in  living,  in  dying,  in  eating,  in  drinking, 
in  being  hungry,  in  being  thirsty,  in  flisting,  in  sleeping,  in 
slumbering,  in  lying,  in  working,  in  resting,  — — ^—  and  in 
blood-letting.  May  he  be  cursed  in  all  the  powers  of  his  bo- 
dy. May  he  be  cursed  within  and  without.  May  he  be  cursed 
in  the  hair  of  his  head.  May  he  be  cursed  in  his  brain.  May 
he  be  cursed  in  the  crown  of  his  head;  in  his  temples;  in  his 
forehead;  in  his  ears;  in  his  eye-brows;  in  his  cheeks;  in  his 
jaw-bones;  in  his  nostrils;  in  his  fore-teeth  and  grinders;  in 
his  lips;  in  his  throat;  in  his  shoulders;  in  his  wrists;  in  his 
arms;  in  his  hands;  in  his  fingers;  in  his  breast;  in  his  heart; 
and  in  all  the  interior  parts  to  the  very  stomach ;  in  his  veins ; 

in  his  reins;  in  his  groins;  in  his  thighs; ;  in  his  lips;  in 

his  knees;  in  his  legs,  in  his  feet;  in  his  joints;  and  in  his  nails. 
May  he  be  cursed  in  the  whole  structure  of  his  members. 
From  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  the  foot.  May 
there  be  no  soundness  in  him.  May  the  Son  of  the  living 
God,  with  all  the  glory  of  his  majesty,  curse  him;  and  may 
heaven  and  all  the  powers  that  move  therein  rise  against  him, 
to  damn  him;  unless  he  shall  repent  and  make  full  satisfaction 
.  Amen,  amen, — so  be  it." 


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